


Not Half Bad

by fandomsandxfiles



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes x reader (past), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2020-10-13 17:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 60,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomsandxfiles/pseuds/fandomsandxfiles
Summary: Jack Thompson is the worst.  But you work for Howard Stark, so you've come into contact with the SSR because they think he's a criminal.  And after that, you just seem to run into Thompson everywhere.





	1. Too Busy For This

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I'm Tori and I wanted to welcome you to this fic. This will mostly be a slow burn fic, because I have two whole seasons of Agent Carter to work you (the reader) into before I can effectively start to add to the romantic subplot of the story. I'm kind of a sucker for a slow burn fic every once in a while, and there's no other trope that fits better for Jack than enemies to friends to lovers. 
> 
> rated T for language and super mild violence
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading and I would love to hear feedback on the story, as it always makes my day to see a new comment on a fic. I’m also always open to talk about my fics on my tumblr @fandomsandxfiles-writes
> 
> •If you’re here from the Bucky/Reader tag I want to forewarn you that he’s not present in this fic, but there is an aspect of the reader’s past that is deeply intertwined with Steve and Bucky (the relationship is labeled “past” for a reason)•

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after the end of season 1, episode 1, “Now is Not the End.”

"So which one of Stark's employees are you going to make cry next Thompson?" Sousa asked, walking into the interrogation room after leading one of Howard's chefs out of the SSR and into a cab. "You made the poor woman freak out, she obviously didn't know anything else about Stark other than what he orders for breakfast."

"Oh shut it Sousa, I'm well aware that she was useless," Jack said, pulling a piece of paper out of the file he had and throwing it in the trash. "There's one more I want to bring in today, who might actually be a lead or an accomplice."

"Who? His tailor?"

"No, Public relations manager. Name Y/N L/N, worked for Stark for 3 years. She's the one who handles the press when he does stupid things, and other than a few informative articles, the papers have been eerily quiet about the fact that Stark is missing and looking incredibly guilty. She's a war widow too, which could be a reason she would be willing to turn her back on the country to help Stark sell weapons to our enemies."

"You have a winning perspective on women, you know that Jack?" Sousa said, turning to leave the interrogation room.

"You're just naive Sousa, let me handle it!" Jack called out at Sousa as the door swung closed.

***

"There's someone here to see you," the secretary, Anne, said as she walked into your office.

"Can you tell them to come back?" you asked. "I don't have time for anything right now." You haven't had a minute to breathe since Howard was called in front of the Senate to testify about his inventions. Between writing up cue cards for him (which he never used and drove you crazy) and dealing with the monster that is sensationalism in American journalism, your life has been utter hell. You've dealt with more ridiculous people than should be dealt with in a lifetime, including one publication that was touting the theory that Howard Stark was just Hitler who faked his death to avoid punishment. The logic was more than a little shaky on that one, so you were glad you dealt with that before it was too big of a national story.

Anne disappeared for a few moments, then returned. "Sorry Y/N, he says he is a federal agent and that you have to come with him for questioning."

"What?" you almost shouted. What on earth could this be about? Everything you were doing was completely legal when it came to intimidating the press to doing what you wanted, you had the best attorneys in the country checking up on you.

"Miss L/N, I'm Agent Jack Thompson with the SSR," a tall blond man said, walking into the room after Anne. "You have to come with me."

"Look I have no idea what this is about mister, but I can assure you that I don't have the time to do whatever you need. I don't know if you've noticed, but my boss has gone missing and left me a ton of work to do, dealing with every idiot in the world trying to market on the disappearance," you said, picking up the phone as it rang, hoping he would just leave you alone or wait to deal with whatever he was here to deal with.

You were interrupted by the blond walking over and slamming the phone back onto the receiver and hanging up on whoever called. "And I can assure you that it is in your best interest to make no fuss and come with me. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm with the organization that is trying to bring your boss to justice, and I can easily have you arrested for not cooperating."

_Oh, so he's a bitch_, you thought. Rolling your eyes, you told Anne to cancel your appointments for the next two hours and to regrettably inform everyone who came by that you had to step away. You followed blondie out a black sedan, where he held open the back door for you and you climbed in. Getting into the driver's seat, he drove away from your office, with you still reeling about what this could possibly be about.

He was nice enough not cuff you or anything like he said he could, but you were still wary of the real reason you were dragged away from work. You were led into the New York Bell Company building, which apparently housed a secret police station, only adding to your confusion.

"So, Ms. L/N," the blond said, sitting down at a table across from you in a very small, dark, and stuffy room. There was a mirror behind him that you could see your reflection in, but you weren't stupid, knowing that it was two way glass and there were definitely people watching everything go down. "You're here because you work for Howard Stark and we're doing a check of all his employees, but based off of your actions at the office, I think you're involved in all this."

You tried to remain professional. "If by involved you mean I am constantly cleaning up the messes that this whole situation has created, then yes, I am very involved, as it is my job to portray Mr. Stark in the best possible light while still remaining truthful to the situation. But if you are insinuating that I am nothing but starry eyed for him and that I am helping him in illegal ways I am afraid you are terribly mistaken."

"I am not insinuating anything Ms. L/N, but if you feel the need to defend yourself, then maybe I should be arresting you right now for treason. Roxxon Refinery blew up recently, or blew in, or whatever, and it was coincidentally a place that your boss tried to buy a couple months ago. Now Stark is currently MIA, so that means that someone had to blow up the building."

"Look Agent, I don't know what to tell you except that I am in no way involved in whatever kind of pyrotechnical issues you have gotten yourself into. Now could I please go back to work before someone tries to publish a story that Stalin and Mr. Stark are secretly married?"

Ignoring your strange example, the rapid fire questions began. "When did you last see Howard Stark?"

"The day before his final day of hearings." You figured it was best to just play along at this point. "I wrote up cue cards for him with points to say when he was in the hearing. He doesn't use them, but still would pick them up everyday to humor me."

"Did you know that he was going to skip the final day of hearings?"

"Do you think I would have spent an hour writing out specific cue cards for him if I had?"

"Point taken," he said. "Finally, how long are you going to keep lying to me about working with Howard Stark to sell weapons and make more money? Like you said, you don't have all day."

"Yes, I don't have all day and I especially don't have time for such a stupid question like that. Mr. Stark did not steal his own inventions in order to make money from them, and I am not part of any conspiracy that is working against the United States."

"But I think you are," he said, leaning forward across the table. "I did a little digging into you, Ms. L/N. Relatively moderate upbringing, not poor or rich, married at twenty three. But now you're a widow, now you're jaded, sad, willing to do anything to get back at the country that sent your husband off to get killed, including helping your eccentric boss sell weapons to whoever is willing to buy." Thompson looked proud of himself.

You, on the other hand, were furious. "I don't know who you are or what died in your pants today, but you do not talk about my husband like that. It is absolutely absurd that you would ever believe anything like that, and frankly, I'm sure that's why you haven't done any real work in solving this case, instead just parading around like you're the president of the world and everyone has to bow down to you. And you're obviously not very good at your job. Because if you had done just a little more digging, like you said you did, you would realize exactly why that theory of yours is preposterous!" And you slapped him. Right across the face. And left, fuming.

***

As Jack opened the door to the room where Dooley, Sousa, and Krzeminski were watching him interrogate the PR girl, he could hear Krzeminski howling with laughter. "Hey Jacky Boy, how's your face?"

"Shut up Krzeminski!" Jack snapped, rubbing his cheek, hoping there wasn't a red mark. Sousa was grinning, and even Dooley cracked a smile. "Should I have just let her go like that?"

"In my experience, when a woman is mad like that, it's best to just leave her alone," Dooley said.

"And besides, she didn't say anything that could justify you holding her here longer," Sousa reasoned.

"She's Public Relations, they all know exactly what to say at all times," Krzeminski cut in. "Trained pathological liars."

"I can't believe she did what we've all been wanting to do for ages," Daniel joked.

"Not you too Sousa!"

"What? It was the highlight of my day."

"What do you want to do now?" Jack said to the chief, changing the subject to avoid further embarrassment.

"I would just look into some of the other employees Thompson, maybe someone physically closer to Stark. I think he has a butler you might be able to intimidate," the chief suggested. "And Sousa, look into the PR girl a little more. Why does she think that she's above all suspicion. I want to know who her husband is and why he's such a big deal even dead, that she's still wearing his ring all the time and slapped Thompson when he said something fairly tame. I have a feeling knowing that might help us understand more about her."

"Will do Chief," Sousa said, standing up. "Come on handprint, let's go do some digging."

"If you don't shut up, I'll slap you!"


	2. How Dare He

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after the end of season 1, episode 1, “Now is Not the End.”

You were sitting back in your office, fuming, while you angrily filled out the paperwork on your desk. How dare that agent insinuate that you had helped Howard steal his weapons and sell them to enemies of the United States. How dare he accuse you of doing this because he thought you had a chip on your shoulder and a vendetta against the country. How dare he bring in your husband, who gave his life for this country, its people, and inadvertently that asshole. It was sickening, and all you wanted to do was go home so that you could take a long nap to fight the headache you acquired from talking to him.

The phone rang, and you grabbed it. "Stark Industries Public Relations."

"Hello Ms. L/N," a smooth British voice said from the other end. "You're sounding angrier than usual."

"Hello Mr. Jarvis," you responded. "I've just had a bad day." That was the understatement of the year if you've ever heard it.

"That's perfectly alright," he said. "I was just merely wondering if you were available later. There is something I would like to discuss with you."

"I am available later, would you like to come over and talk about it?" If he hadn't told you on the phone, it was most likely something very secret and not suitable for a public place. And with Howard missing, especially given recent events, it might be something about that.

"That is perfect, how about 6 o clock?" Jarvis responded.

"That is fine, I will see you then."

"Wonderful! And Ms. L/N?" he said. "Please go home. I can tell that you are tired and overworking yourself due to Mr. Stark's disappearance. But you need to take some time for yourself."

You sighed. "Fine. I will see you tonight Mr. Jarvis."

Telling Anne that you weren't feeling well, you let her know that you were leaving early for the day and to just leave everything important for you to do tomorrow. She had already canceled all your appointments when Agent Asshole practically kidnapped you earlier, so nothing really had to be done that you couldn't deal with the next day.

***

Instead of napping like you originally planned to, you impulsively cleaned the house. It didn't really need it, as you had just recently cleaned, but the monotony of mopping and dusting helped you relax. It took all your willpower to not pull out your photo albums and look at the pictures of happier times, but you knew you would start crying and would not be able to stop.

Soon the doorbell rang and you opened the door to find Jarvis standing there, but he wasn't alone. "Ms. L/N, this is Ms. Peggy Carter. Ms. Carter, this is Ms. Y/N L/N, she is the head of the Public Relations department for Stark Industries."

Sitting down at the kitchen table across from them, you looked Jarvis and Peggy in the eyes after they finished explaining everything that was going on at the moment. "So Howard is conducting his own side investigation through you two, and he wants to drag me into it as well?"

"Essentially yes," Peggy said. "He mentioned to Jarvis that if needed, you would probably be able to get certain documents or pieces of information that we could not acquire through trickery alone, due to your position in the company."

"So I don't have to do anything other than occasionally get you guys some information? I heard about the Roxxon incident, and I know what Nitramene does, so I'm assuming you guys had something to do with it?" You said, raising your eyebrows at them.

"We didn't blow up the building of course," Peggy reassured you. "That plant was where the Nitramene was being weaponized, and one of the men there smashed one when he saw me, hence the implosion."

You thought about it for a little while, then decided. "I'll help when you need me to. But you have to promise me no more federal agents will come barging into my office because I'm suspicious."

"What do you mean 'no more?'" Peggy asked, sounding intrigued.

"Today at work one of them walked into my office, practically kidnapped me, demanded that I tell him what Howard was doing by stealing his own weapons, and then insinuated that because I am a war widow, I am mad enough at this country to turn my back on it and commit treason."

"So that's why you sounded so distressed when I called you before," Jarvis said. "I knew something was the matter."

"Yeah, and can we please stop talking about it though, I've relived the moment enough for a long time."

"Of course Ms. L/N," Jarvis said. "I promise you that you will not have to get involved other than supplying some information that we are unable to acquire."

After agreeing, Peggy and Jarvis turned to leave, thanking you and promising to keep you updated with what they need. Wandering through the house lost in thought, you quickly decided just to go to bed and to worry about everything the next day.

***

Dooley was looking through everything they already had concerning the Stark case, trying to figure out if they missed anything, but he was coming up with absolutely nothing. He was just about to leave when there was a knock at his office door. "Come in!" he called, and Thompson and Sousa stepped into the office. "Did we get anything new boys?"

"Something," Thompson reported. "We're going to get Stark's butler in tomorrow and see if we can get him to talk. Apparently he has some skeletons in the closet, charge of treason and a dishonorable discharge, so I might be able to get him to tell me what Stark has been up to."

"Great, bring him in for questioning tomorrow. I have the men in Washington DC clamoring for us to close this case already and we've barely gotten anywhere. Sousa, what about you? Get anything on the dame that slapped Thompson?"

"Yeah, actually," Daniel said, pulling out a file from under his arm and opening it. "Went down to the city today, got some records on her. Born in Brooklyn, 1918, confirms what we already thought. She has a marriage license on file and the name sounded familiar, let me just find it," he said, shuffling through the papers. "Oh here it is! Marriage License, so L/N is technically her maiden name, certificate said her husband's name is James Barnes, and they got married in '41. Looks like they were married for four years before he was killed in action in '45."

Dooley feel silent, causing both Jack and Daniel to turn to him. "What?" Jack said, looking confused. "I don't get it."

"If I'm right," Dooley said, trailing off a bit. "Sousa, do you have the military card for her husband? Specifically what division he was in? It should be in the file."

"I didn't see it, but I'm sure it's in here somewhere," Daniel said, flipping through everything. "It says here he was part of the- oh my lord." Daniels jaw dropped. "107th regiment."

"You're kidding."

"No he's not," Dooley cut in. "If I'm not mistaken, Thompson just threatened Captain America's best friend's widow."

"Well now we know why she got so mad. And maybe next time Jack will do a little more digging before he interrogates people," Daniel said.

"Don't turn this into a lesson Sousa, I still don't trust her."

"That's just your pessimistic view on women, Jack."

***

The next morning, Peggy walked into the office, scanning the surroundings to see what her coworkers knew about the case and how she could remain one step ahead. Nodding at Daniel, who was on the phone, she sat down and began going through the paperwork for the day. When Daniel got off the phone, he turned to her. "I would avoid Thompson today unless it's absolutely necessary," he said. "He's still mad about what happened yesterday."

Peggy looked bewildered. "What happened yesterday?"

Daniel looked around before lowering his voice. "Thompson got slapped by a lady yesterday. It was the highlight of my day, I'm sorry you missed it. He brought in a Stark employee to grill her, I think it was his Public Relations head or something, and he told her that he thought she helped Stark steal the weapons because her husband was killed in the war and she was angry at the country. She got furious at him and slapped him before walking out. The best part was, he didn't have all the details. Turns out, she was married to James Barnes-"

"Steve Rogers' best friend," Peggy cut him off.

"Exactly. So now Thompson has nothing to go on and a bruised ego. I would just steer clear," he said before turning back to his desk.

Peggy however, was piecing everything together. The woman she met yesterday, was one of Steve's best friends that she heard so much about. She couldn't believe she didn't recognize the name even sooner, but to be fair Steve had always referred to her last name as Barnes. Besides that, the fact that the SSR was investigating meant that they would be coming closer and closer to what she already knew, and she had to work faster.

And she had to find out more about Y/N Barnes.


	3. Untrustworthy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot with season 1, episode 3, “Time and Tide.”

You were surprised when you picked up the phone one morning to hear Peggy's voice on the other end. She didn't strike you as the overly friendly type, and you figured that you would have to keep your distance from Jarvis and Peggy to maintain the facade that they weren't doing anything illegal or suspicious.

What you weren't expecting was for her to invite you to have coffee with her during your lunch break. You accepted, but you couldn't help but wonder what she really wanted.

The place was cute, and Peggy knew one of the waitresses, so you guys got your food quickly. A few moments into the silence, Peggy spoke. "Jarvis never told me that you knew Steve."

Oh. So that's what this was about. Somehow, she figured out who you were. You could play dumb and ask "Steve who?" but Peggy obviously wasn't going to fall for that. You knew what she meant to Steve, the idiot couldn't keep the dopey smile off his face when he talked about her, but you tried to keep your involvement with the whole spy world to a minimum. "Yeah," you smiled, deciding to keep it simple. "He was one of my childhood best friends."

"I'm so sorry that I didn't recognize you," she said earnestly. "But Steve always referred to your last name as 'Barnes,' that it just didn't click to me who you were."

You smiled sadly. "Legally, it still is. I just go by my maiden name in business interactions because I deal so closely with the press, that my identity is not that safe when it comes to sensational journalism. I already am speculated about because I work for Howard Stark, I'd rather not let them know I was best friends with Captain America."

Peggy nodded. "I understand. Unfortunately fame is something that follows Howard around, and although Steve tried to avoid it, he fared no better. I apologize for what Thompson said to you, by the way. It was uncalled for and he's a jerk."

So that's how she found out about who you were. "I didn't realize you worked at the same organization that is currently hell bent on taking Howard down."

She laughed. "Makes my little side investigation with Jarvis a little more high risk, huh?"

"One could call it treasonous," you responded. "And it's not your fault what your asshole coworkers say. You don't have to apologize. I've dealt with enough idiots in the world to be able to spot one a mile away."

Peggy smiled. "Unfortunately, the entire office is populated with men like Thompson, ambitious, power hungry, and lacking all subtlety whatsoever. It's a wonder they ever get any work done."

"But that's why you stay right?" you said. "To make things better than they were before."

"Why else?" She said, laughing. "But I didn't call you here to complain about my coworkers, we did run into a small issue, Jarvis and I. You weren't the only one of Howard's employees that Jack has been terrorizing. Mr. Jarvis was called into the SSR this morning."

"What did they try to terrorize him with? Laundry?"

"Apparently Mr. Jarvis was almost charged with treason."

You nearly spit out your drink. "Excuse me?"

"They found the license plate to the car that we used to escape the Roxxon implosion and the SSR came knocking at Howard's door this morning. Thankfully, Jarvis reported the car to be stolen, but not before Thompson accused Jarvis of treason during the war."

"What do you want me to do?" you asked.

"The SSR won't tell me what is going on with the investigations, but they might tell you as an outsider. We need to know what my coworkers know or else we risk falling dangerously behind," Peggy said with a serious look on her face.

"I don't think they'll tell me much though," you said, shaking your head. "I was on the most wanted list for people they thought commit treason."

Peggy smiled. "You're basically cleared of all suspicion in the SSR. Your connection to Steve speaks for itself, and no one wants to get on the bad side of the woman who slapped Thompson with a fury. Use that to your advantage."

***

You didn't know the phone number for the SSR, so you decided to just pay them a visit. You told the woman at the end of the operating room why you were there, and upon calling into the office see if you can be allowed in, opened the door for you. You have a feeling that your act of violence against Thompson is the reason there wasn't any more of a fight.

When you walked into the bullpen, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at you. Thankfully, Thompson wasn't there or you would have no idea how anything would have played out. You kept walking through the room, making your way to the door labeled with the chief's name on it.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" An agent with dark hair and a crutch asked, getting up from his desk.

"I need to talk to the chief about the case regarding Howard Stark. Is he available?" you asked politely, not knowing what kind of response you were going to get.

"Let me go see," the agent said, walking over to the door and putting his ear against it. "Wait here one second." He opened the door and stepped in, shutting it quickly.

"Chief Dooley can see you," he said when he reappeared. You stepped into the office and shut the door behind you.

"What do you need?" the chief asked.

"I need to ask you about your progress on the case regarding Howard Stark," you said, making up everything as you went along, hoping it didn't sound too off the mark and you would get kicked out. "If I know what is supposed to be out in the public and what needs to be stopped immediately I can better work with the amount of information that is currently swirling around this case."

The chief looked at you and you were scared that you gave too much away and that you were going to be arrested for real. "I obviously can't tell you everything regarding the case, but why should I work with you in the first place? So far, nothing outrageous has hit the papers yet and everything is remaining under wraps."

"The reason that you don't see any crazy theories or leaked information is because of me and my team," you said. "We have been working with the press and other major publications to make sure all the information that reaches the general public is factual. Due to the frigid international climate in the aftermath of the war right now, it is best that the public not overreact more than they already have been about these events." Hopefully that would convince him. "And I understand that some of the investigation must remain top secret, but if I am privy to at least some of the information of the case, I can be better prepared for any press scandals and emergencies that may arise. I can only threaten to sue so many times before it becomes ineffective."

Dooley thought over your proposition for a few minutes, eventually nodding his head. "Alright, we'll work with you. I will be in contact with you about setting up a meeting regarding what you will be briefed on."

Nodding your head, you left his office and headed out. The agent with the crutch smiled at you as you left, and you waved at him before you left. As the door opened to let you back into the telephone room, you could see Jack walking towards you into the office. You nodded at him in fake respect, when in reality, you were not happy with him. But you didn't slap him again.

"Blondie."

"Barnes."

You were definitely going to kill him one day.


	4. Almost Made It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 1, episode 7 “SNAFU.”

After your short briefing with Chief Dooley the next day about the status of the SSR investigation, you reported to Jarvis what you had been told and had gone back to work as if nothing happened. You actually forgot about the role you were playing in the secret investigation because nothing had really changed. Other than a few issues regarding the press (one magazine had a witness swear they saw Howard Stark getting bread at a bakery one morning - you quickly shut down that story - you would rather not have the entire city on the lookout for Howard), it seemed the world was running smoothly.

Everything was going about fairly normal until you received a distressed call from Jarvis in the middle of the workday. "Ms. L/N, I need your help. The SSR has come across evidence of our side investigation and have arrested Miss Carter."

Your jaw dropped and you had absolutely no idea how to proceed. "First of all, don't panic. They would probably let her go if you could explicitly prove Howard's innocence or bring them Howard himself, but I don't see a way how either of those options are feasible right now. "

There was a short silence on the other end of the line. "Alright. I will figure something out. Thank you Ms. L/N."

"Let me know if there is anything else that I can do, Alright?"

Jarvis reassured you with an "of course," and hung up quickly after that. As you threw yourself back into your work, you couldn't help but worry about Peggy.

About an hour later, there was a knock on your office door and Jarvis walked in with a briefcase. "Ms. L/N, I need your help. We must free Ms. Carter from the SSR."

Jarvis explained his plan on the drive over, and when he told you about forging the confession, you screamed, "WHAT?" causing him to nearly slam on the brakes. "Do you have any idea how irresponsible and dangerous and illegal that is?"

"Well, hopefully the SSR is convinced long enough for us to leave and catch the real culprit."

"What about when Howard doesn't show up? We can't recover from that!"

"Then we'll just have to find the real culprit before that happens."

"God help us Jarvis."

***

When you were let through by the woman at the door you were led into a conference room and soon joined by Chief Dooley, Agent Sousa, and Agent Thompson. "Why are they here?" Sousa questioned sharply. "Don't we have enough to worry about right now?"

"We have some information you might find valuable," Jarvis replied, holding up the briefcase. "The confession of Howard Stark."

Dooley went to grab it, but you stopped him with a look. "But first, we have to talk business. Agent Carter had no part in the theft of Howard's weapons or the sale of these weapons to national enemies, so if you are to accept this confession, she must walk free, along with myself and Mr. Jarvis."

"Why should we do that?" Sousa said from his post against the wall.

"The confession has more than enough information for you to work with, and we are all innocent in the matter," you answered, turning to Agent Thompson. "It would behoove you to cooperate with us so that when Mr. Stark lands, we can get this done as smoothly as possible."

Thompson left, and everything fell silent until he came back into the room, practically dragging Peggy, who was handcuffed. "Agent Carter, are you all right?" Jarvis asked. "Have they harmed you?"

"She's fine," Dooley responded. "Now that you've seen her, can we get down to brass tax?"

"What are they doing here?" Peggy questioned sharply.

"Pulling your fat out of the fryer apparently," Sousa spoke up, still leaning against the wall.

"I'm afraid the charade is over Agent Carter. Mr. Stark has decided to come clean," Jarvis told her, and she looked at him in disbelief.

"What's that?" Thompson asked, it was the first time he'd spoken since you'd come into the office with Jarvis, and it almost shocked you to hear him speak fairly softly.

"Boyfriend's confession," Dooley answered. "He owns up to everything. Job in his own vault, selling explosives, the Roxxon implosion."

"Where's the man himself?" Thompson asked, more boldly this time.

Jarvis looked at his watch. "Somewhere over Greenland. Scheduled to land in Teterboro at approximately 9 pm this evening."

"His attorneys have the signature page," you cut in, glaring at Thompson. "It will be sent back to you as soon as you agree to his terms and Agent Carter, Mr. Jarvis, and myself are free."

"Do I have a say in this matter?" Peggy asked.

"You've had plenty of chances to talk," Dooley said.

"So," Jarvis cut in. "Do we have a deal?"

"Not quite. As tempting as this arrangement is, I'm not stupid. Even if this is true why would I give up Carter or you two for a piece of paper?" Dooley wasn't convinced.

"A signed piece of paper," you said, hoping it would remind him of why he should just let you guys go without any further questions.

Dooley shook his head. "She's staying here and so are you two. I want the signature page delivered, when Stark lands, you bring him here, have a garbage exchange, that's the deal."

Jarvis looked momentarily defeated, but kept a mostly straight face. "It would appear so," he said as you held out your hand for Dooley to shake, trying not to let disappointment appear on your face.

Dooley shook your hand and then turned to Jarvis. "For the record, I find you repulsive."

"And you aggressive," Thompson said, turning to you. You shot him an obviously fake smile in return.

"Take off the cuffs." Dooley started to walk out of the room.

"Howard can't do this! They'll never clear his name if he turns up-" Peggy started to object.

"You're not clearing anybody! You're done!" Dooley said to her.

"I don't think you've understood our compromise regarding Agent Carter," Jarvis said.

"Oh she's free from prosecution," Dooley assured him. "When Stark walks into the building, she walks out. For good. Carter, you're out of the SSR!"

***

So you were stuck. Stuck in the SSR in a tiny conference room with Peggy who was currently angry at you and Jarvis for faking the confession. Jarvis sat down, while you were watching the agents in the bullpen, not realizing that you were focusing on one agent in particular.

"Are you staring at Jack?" Peggy asked, waving her hand in front of your face.

Technically, you were staring at Jack, but it definitely wasn't in the manner she was about to imply. "What? No! I had just zoned out for a minute and was staring at no one in particular."

Peggy raised her eyebrows but let the matter go, not looking entirely convinced.

The three of you were silent in the room for a little bit, until Peggy jumped up and stared through the glass into the chief's office. To you, Dr. Ivchenko was tapping aimlessly on the windowsill, but Peggy realized that something was wrong. Her and Jarvis started to write down the taps on the windowsill.

"Prepare ... for ... evacuation."

"You know Morse Code?" Peggy's shock was evident.

"Your surprise wounds me," Jarvis countered.

"He's tapping out a time table, ninety minutes," Peggy realized.

"What happens in ninety minutes?" You asked, reentering the conversation.

"Leviathan is coming."


	5. Liars and Traitors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 1, episode 7 “SNAFU.”

You had never fully heard the tale of Peggy and Jarvis' adventures, so you listened with the same new ear as Thompson, Sousa, and Dooley as Peggy told them every single thing that happened since Howard asked her to clear his name. And when she pushed the button on the grey sphere, you didn't really know what it was either.

"That is the last remaining sample of Captain Steve Rogers' blood." Peggy was starting to get visibly upset and you sucked in a breath. You knew what Steve meant to Peggy, so you tried to remain as calm as you could, but it was just a little too much to see the vial of blood, and be reminded of the fate of your childhood best friend and your husband.

"Please excuse me," you choked out, walking away from the group and going back into the conference room, staring out the window to try and stop the tears.

A few minutes later, Peggy and Jarvis walked into the room and sat down. You turned to them. "What's going to happen now?"

"Our fates are currently in the hands of Chief Dooley, Agent Thompson, and Agent Sousa," Jarvis said. "They are deciding whether or not to believe us.”

***

Meanwhile, Thompson, Sousa, and Dooley were huddled in a circle, trying to decide what to do next.

Daniel spoke up first. "I believe her."

"Why? Because she got all soft in there?" How do we know it's not just an act?"

"She came clean even though she was halfway out the door with Stark's confession."

"If that confession was real," Thompson cut in. "But she's saying it isn't. By her own account, Carter would be back in cuffs if Stark didn't show."

"She gave up Captain America's blood. I know that's big for her and so do you Jack."

"Big enough to relight that torch you're carrying?" Jack said, raising his eyebrows.

"I brought her down, remember? I think she's telling the truth. And don't talk to me about torches Jack. I saw your face when the PR girl walked out nearly in tears."

"What do you think chief?" Jack asked, completely ignoring Sousa's comment about Y/N. "Do you trust her?"

"No," Dooley decided. "But I trust Sousa's gut. Take a couple men across the street and do a look-see."

***

After a few minutes in the room with Jarvis and Peggy, you needed some fresh air to try and make sense of everything that just happened to you. "Peggy where's the ladies room?"

She directed you downstairs and you quietly snuck out of the room. The bathroom was really far away from the office, and it wasn't as though you were in any rush to be locked up in a room again. When you stepped back in the office of the SSR, you could tell something wasn't right. Chief Dooley and Dr. Ivchenko were quietly talking near the exit, so to avoid being seen you quickly ducked into a storage closet and tried to listen to what was happening. It sounded like Dr. Ivchenko left the building and Chief Dooley walked back into the office, and you peeked out to confirm this. He was holding something in his hand that you weren't quite sure what it was, but he walked back into his office and shut the door.

You stepped out of the closet and quietly snuck back to the conference room, only to find that Peggy and Jarvis weren't there. You quickly scanned the office for where they might be. What was weird was that no one was paying any attention to you, and you didn't really want to ask for help because you didn't really know these men and how much they knew about the current situation.

"What are you doing?" You turned around in shock to find Thompson staring at you. "Shouldn't you be in the conference room with Peggy and Jarvis?"

"I went down to the ladies room," you explained. "And when I came back, Peggy and Jarvis weren't in the room and I thought I saw Dr. Ivchenko leave the building. The chief has locked himself in his office. We have to find Peggy. She'll be able to tell you what happened."

He nodded and you followed him through the office, each of you opening doors and checking rooms to see where Peggy and Jarvis could be. You were walking through the hall and you heard voices coming from the interrogation room, so you motioned to Thompson that you would check in there. He nodded, and right before you opened the door you heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. Both yours and Jack's eyes widened, and he grabbed your hand, opened the door, and the two of you came busting through to see Peggy and Jarvis, handcuffed to a table, who had broken the two way glass connecting both rooms.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Jack asked.

"Are you both okay? What happened?" You asked, almost frantic.

"Where is Chief Dooley?" Peggy said, a distressed look on her face.

***

Jack was banging on the office door, trying to wake the chief up. When he sleepily shuffled out of the office wearing a glowing vest, Jarvis became visibly nervous, pushing everyone away from the chief.

"What is that?" Peggy asked.

"A prototype for a new system of armor," Jarvis answered, shooing everyone away.

That's when you recognized it. As head of the Public Relations office, you have had to do small write ups for some of Howard's inventions that he thought he might sell, either through the army or just the consumer market. This was one of the earlier ones, and the idea for sale was scrapped almost immediately due to the experimental nature of the battery.

"How do we get it off him?" Thompson asked, circling the chief and leaning in a little to see what it was.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Jarvis answered. "Please don't touch!"

"It was intended to double as a heat source for use in the winter months in the European front," you added. "Locking the armor ignites a self sustaining battery."

"There's always a catch to this stuff, isn't there?" Thompson asked threateningly.

"I'm afraid the energy source is experimental, powerful, and incredibly flawed," Jarvis said. "It invariably overheats with rather violent results."

"How violent?" Dooley spoke for the first time since he woke up.

"Explosive."

"Get the scientists!" Peggy yelled, marching off.

***

What felt like seconds later, the chief was dead. Another victim in Leviathan's game. You were sitting on the desk across from Peggy, completely silent as her and Jarvis spoke quietly to each other. Thompson was silent too, and he walked over to you and softly asked if you were okay.

"What do we do now?" you asked.

Before he could answer, Agent Sousa came walking in, stopping when he saw the broken glass and somber expressions. "What happened?" he asked, looking around.

"They got Chief," Jack responded in a somber voice. Sousa walked over towards you and Jack and remained silent, not knowing what to say.

"Leviathan tasked Leet Brannis to steal something," you heard Peggy say. "What was it?" She was quiet for a few more moments before crying out, "The blood!"

But it wasn't Steve's blood that Dr. Ivchenko had taken. You opened the sphere in the lab, relieved to see the small vial, but everyone else was searching to see what had actually gone missing.

"Item 17," one of the scientists pointed out. "It's gone."

"Alright," Thompson said, turning to you and Jarvis. "What's that do?"

"I have no idea," you and Jarvis said in unison.


	6. Waiting Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 1, episode 8, “Valediction.”

The call came in that there was an issue at the cinema and urgent assistance was needed while everyone was still cleaning up the debris from our own crisis. Thompson, Sousa, and Peggy led the agents out and took off, forgetting about you and Jarvis.

"What do we do now?" you asked, unsure of what was going on.

"I'm not sure," Jarvis answered. "I guess we just have to wait for them to return."

You nodded and started to wander around the bullpen, looking at everyone's desks and staring out the windows. You were silent, in your own little world. Eventually you picked a random desk to sit on and stared off into space.

The phone rang, violently disturbing your focus on nothing. It was coming from Peggy's desk, and Jarvis went over to answer it, probably thinking it was one of the agents trying to get in touch with you two. "Hello?"

You could only hear Jarvis's half of the conversation, and you had no idea who was at the other end of the phone.

"I'm not entirely sure. Apparently there is a crisis elsewhere that the SSR must deal with."

"I can do that."

"Of course. Goodbye."

After he hung up the phone, he grabbed his hat and started walking out the door.

"Where are you going?" you asked, standing up and walking towards him. "I don't think we're allowed to leave the office."

"I'll be back, but there is another matter I must attend to first," Jarvis said before quickly leaving. This sounded a bit weird to you, but it's not like you could really do anything. Besides, Thompson hadn't left anyone to babysit you guys, so you guessed you could leave if you wanted to. Now you really wanted to know who had called.

Alone in a top secret government agency, unsure if you were a criminal or not, and your companion received an odd phone call and just left. This day was just getting stranger and stranger. You resumed your position of sitting on someone's desk and staring off into space, wondering what the hell you were going to say if the other agents returned and found that Jarvis had just left.

***

Jarvis did not return before the other agents, but there were clearly bigger problems on their hands. However, you didn't really hear them come in due to the fact that you had taken up residence on a desk and was currently staring out the window, even though it wasn't a very interesting view. "Barnes? Barnes!" you heard your name called by Thompson, and you looked over to see him and Peggy looking worried. Agent Sousa wasn't with them and Jack was wincing a bit, rubbing his chest and neck. "Gonna pay rent on my desk there?" he asked.

You were confused until you looked down at the nameplate on the desk you had been sitting on, which read "Agent Jack Thompson." Your eyes widened. "Sorry, I wasn't sure what had gone on, you guys just ran out and I figured it would be best to just wait here."

"It's fine," Peggy answered, calming you a little. You remained sitting on the desk. "We're just all a little on edge."

"What happened?" you asked.

"I'm not even sure," Thompson said. "The scientists are looking at what we found now and then we'll see."

A few minutes passed of silence, but soon the other agents started to quietly converse. You just observed it all, until you heard someone clear their throat. You looked over to find Jack, who sat next to you on the desk and looked out the window. "Did you know anything about a gas that your boss developed?" he asked.

You shook your head. "No. I was only familiar with the inventions that Howard thought could one day be out on the market. "

"The people in the movie theater who were exposed to it, they ripped each other to shreds," Thompson said quietly. "It was horrific."

For a moment, you saw through the wall of Agent Thompson, and you saw a man who was frightened by what he saw today. You weren't sure what to do, should you take his hand? Awkwardly pat him on the back and tell him everything was going to be okay? Thankfully, before you could react, the head scientist came up to you guys and asked to talk to Jack. He stepped away, and after quietly conversing with the scientist for a few minutes, he called to get everyone's attention.

"Best the scientists can figure, it's a chemical that induces psychosis upon exposure. Which I can personally attest to after Sousa tried to bite my nose off." At that moment, Peggy and Daniel walked into the room, and Jack cracked a small smile. "Hey killer."

"I'm surprised Howard would consent to manufacturing something like that," Peggy said.

"The amount that got me was tiny," Daniel added. "How much of this stuff does Ivchenko have?"

"The lab counted 10 canisters," Jack said, his smile falling. "Meaning Ivchenko has enough to send half the city into a homicidal rage."

"But why? Why go through all that trouble?" Peggy asked.

"Because he's a Russian jerk with a chip on his shoulder, why else?"

"No, it's got to be something more than that," Peggy said, shaking her head. "Ivchenko has a plan. He brought us into Russia, he tricked us into bringing him into this country, there's something specific that he is targeting. We just have to find out what it is."

"The target is me," a new voice spoke up. You turned around to see Jarvis walk in with Howard himself, and your jaw dropped. Every agent responded by pulling out their gun and training it on Howard.

"Get your hands up! Get your hands up!" Thompson shouted. This really didn't do anything but prompt Jarvis to raise both his hands up quickly, causing you and Howard to look at him. You tried to suppress a giggle.

"What kind of welcome is this?" Howard asked, being his overall ever-cocky self.

"How did you get in here?" Daniel said, not lowering his gun.

"You know who designed the SSR security system?" Howard asked, smiling.

"Yeah, the same outfit that secures the White House."

"Exactly, they stink! You shoulda hired me."

He turned to you and Peggy, catching your eye as you flashed him a warning glare. "I know," Howard said in a softer tone. "You missed me."

***

You were standing outside as Howard was being questioned in the conference room. When the door opened, Peggy walked out. "Y/N, can you come in here please?"

Not knowing what was going to happen, you followed Peggy into the room, where Howard, Thompson, and Jarvis were standing. When you stepped in and shut the door, Howard turned to you. "We need you to set up a press conference. For today."

"Why?" You were confused.

"We need a way to bait Ivchenko and Dottie to returning to the city," Peggy said. "If they hear that Howard is going to be appearing in public, they will hopefully change their plan and try to do something at the conference, where we can get them in custody for good."

You turned to Howard. "And you're okay with this?"

"It's the only way Y/N," he said. "I need to fix the wrongs I've done to get us all in this situation."

You nodded. "Alright then. If someone can direct me to a phone that I can use, there are some news outlets I need to call immediately."

Jack directed you to a desk phone and you immediately got to work, calling as many journals, newspapers, and radio stations to let them know that Howard would be appearing later today, and that their questions could finally be answered. When you got off the phone with the last paper, everyone was suiting up to head out and prepare. You were about to walk out the door when Agent Sousa pulled you aside and handed you a bulletproof vest.

Perplexed, you looked at him. "What do I need this for?"

"You and Thompson are going to be speaking before Howard, and standing up there with him. It's better to err on the side of caution."

You let out a sigh and took the vest, heading down to the ladies room to freshen up and put on the vest. "I'll meet you everyone out by the cars!" you called over your shoulder as you walked away. "Don't leave without me!"


	7. What Shouldn't Have Happened

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 1, episode 8, “Valediction.”

"Welcome everyone to this last minute press conference on behalf of Mr. Howard Stark. I'm glad that everyone was able to make it on such short notice. Before we hear from Mr. Stark himself, I would like to invite Agent Jack Thompson of the SSR to the podium to say a few words about the fate of their investigation into Mr. Stark." You spoke clearly at the crowd of journalists assembled below you, despite your heart beating at least twice your normal rate.

Jack stepped forward, and nodded at you as you stepped down. You took your place across from Howard and Jarvis and watched the crowd carefully, looking for any signs of danger. "After thorough investigation, we've concluded that Howard Stark is innocent in the theft and sale of weapons to foreign enemies. All charges against Mr. Stark have been dropped. We owe Mr. Stark a tremendous debt and gratitude, and his assistance in our current investigation is invaluable." Jack grimaced as he read off the paper that was given to him.

Howard leaned forward, whispering, "Hero. He is a hero," causing Jack to frown even more before repeating the sentence into the microphone.

After a few more sentences, Jack gave the podium to Howard and resumed his place standing next to you. "Did you write that speech?" he whispered.

"Yes and no," you responded quietly. "I came up with a draft and gave it to Howard to look at. What you received was the bare bones of my work and product of his inflated ego," you said, jerking your chin towards Howard, who was listening to the shouted questions of the journalists, and starting to speak.

"I don't know how you could work for him and not kill him," Jack whispered, cracking a smile.

You giggled in response, but right as you opened you mouth, a shot rang out and Jack jumped into action. He grabbed Howard and pulled him down. You all huddled against the side of the building.

"Barnes! Get inside!" Jack yelled as another shot rang out. He told Jarvis to take Howard to the police car in the alley, where he would be taken to safety. You decided to not follow directions and stay pressed against the side of the building. You saw Jarvis run back towards everyone in fright, and your eyes widened, knowing immediately what happened.

You ran past Jarvis, who was talking to Agent Sousa, and jumped into his car. Sticking your head out the passenger side window, you yelled to them, "C'mon!" Sousa nodded and quickly sat down in the backseat while Jarvis threw himself into the driver's seat and sped off, looking for the police car.

You had found the car with the driver dead and all doors opened. Howard was nowhere to be found. After a few moments of silence, Jarvis spoke up. "This isn't good."

"No it isn't," Agent Sousa agreed. You could only nod your head in response.

***

Fennhoff was trying to leave the city, and no one was willing to cooperate in canceling the V-E Day celebration. You and Jack had talked to every official, but every time they denied your request. Both of you gave out a fair share of threats, but no one would cooperate. You guys headed back to where Peggy, Sousa, and Jarvis were standing to give them the news and create a plan. It hit you and Jarvis at the same time: somehow, they knew about Howard's second plane vault and was going to use one of Howard's personal planes to deploy the gas over Times Square. You all jumped in cars and raced over to the airfield, only to get there when Howard was taking off.

You and Peggy jumped out of the car and shouted his name, only to receive no response. She started grabbing guns from the trunk of her car, and the next thing you knew, Jarvis was going up into the air as a last resort to stop Howard.

You followed Peggy into the building, her holding a gun and you holding a baseball bat (you Did Not want a gun and this was the closest thing you could find). Once she found the room, you stayed against the wall and she entered. After you heard scuffling, Fennhoff left the room and ran out, thankfully not spotting you. You quickly radioed to Thompson and Sousa before rushing in to Peggy's aid.

When you entered the room, Dottie was also wielding a baseball bat, and she was about to hit Peggy with it. Something else came over you in that moment. You charged at Dottie, managing to rip the bat out of her hands due to her shock, and allowed Peggy enough time to kick her, causing her to break the glass and fall out the window below.

You rushed to the radio, Peggy not far behind. "Howard? Can you hear me?" you asked frantically.

"Please come back," Peggy said, pleading with Howard.

"I know this sounds crazy!" Howard responded. But that guy Fennhoff, he actually helped me. Showed me how to do this! Peg, Y/N, I'm bringing Cap back!"

Your heart sank to the ground and Peggy looked like she was going to cry. "Howard, turn the plane around," she said, tears starting to fall from her eyes. "Come back and we'll talk about it."

"I can't do that," Howard responded. "I'm done talking."

"Wait!" you shouted out, in a last attempt to stall him.

"Miss Carter?" Jarvis's voice came through the other radio. "Miss Carter I have Mr. Stark's plane in my sights, we are one mile from land. Miss Carter, should I take the shot?"

Peggy grabbed the other radio, but didn't answer.

"Miss Carter!" Jarvis's voice came through. "Miss Carter can you hear me?"

"No we need more time!" she yelled into the radio.

"We don't have more time!"

"Do not take a shot until I tell you Mr. Jarvis!"

"Howard," you said softly into the receiver. "Steve is gone, he died over a year ago."

"There's something up ahead!" he shouted back at you. "it's him! I can fix this!"

Peggy took the radio for a second. "You don't have to fix anything."

"Peg, all I've done my whole life is create destruction. Project Rebirth was the one thing I had done that brought good into this world."

"Howard, I know you loved him," Peggy said, crying. "I loved him too."

At this point, you were sobbing so loudly that speaking wasn't an option, crying at the memories of your best friend. Crying at the memories from childhood, memories from adulthood. Memories of Bucky and Steve and what they meant to you and how no one else has ever meant that much to you. You pulled away from the radios and sat down on the floor of the room, continuing to cry your eyes out. You didn't hear what she said as she continued to try and bring Howard to land.

"Steve is gone, and we have to move on from this, all of us," Peggy was saying. "As impossible as that might sound. "We have to let him go."

You were crying so much that you didn't hear Peggy talk Howard down, and you walked in a crying haze into Jarvis's car, where you waited for Howard and Jarvis so you could return to the city. On the car ride back, Howard turned around to you. "Steve would be proud of you. They both would be."

You smiled a watery smile. "I miss them so much. But as Peggy said, it is time to move on. They will always be a part of my heart, so they aren't really dead."

***

You came by to the SSR two days after the commotion ended, just to wrap up everything regarding what will be released to the press and the return of Howard's inventions. When you walked in the door, Agent Sousa brought you into the Chief's office, where Thompson was staring out the window. "Chief Thompson, huh?" you said, getting his attention as Sousa headed out the door. "Nice ring to it."

"Yeah," he said, sitting down in the chair. You took the seat across from him. "Just wish that so much didn't have to happen this way for me to get it, ya know?"

You nodded. "I understand. I wish so much had been different in my life. But as ridiculous as it sounds right now, you must move on in life. It's not going to stop, and neither should you."

After you dealt with all the necessary paperwork regarding the return of Howard's inventions, you were heading out of his office when you turned to Jack once more. "Jack? I'm sorry for the way I treated you when this all started. You're not entirely horrible."

"And I'm sorry too," he said, standing up. "It was out of line for me to say the things that I did, and I'm sorry that I brought up old wounds."

"I guess we're even, huh?"

"I guess."

You walked out of the Chief's office and out of the SSR altogether, not noticing that Thompson's eyes didn't leave you until the door to the office closed.


	8. Sunshine in LA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place between the end of season one and the beginning of season two.

About three months after the end of the whole debacle with Howard's inventions, things were starting to go back to normal. The press cared more about his latest relationships and one night stands than that time New York was almost reduced to feral animals due to a gas that Russian Operatives tricked Howard into almost deploying over everyone. But to be fair, you had much more knowledge on the event than the average New York resident. To them, one day Howard was Public Enemy No. 1, and the next he was being hailed as a hero. But to you, Jarvis, and the rest of the SSR, the events were much more serious than that. 

After everything, you continued working as if nothing had happened, but that was difficult. You would occasionally think about Peggy and the other SSR agents, wondering how they were doing and if they were having as strange of an experience getting through everything as you were. As much as you didn't want to admit it, you worried about them a little, even Jack Thompson. You parted on cordial ways, but you were in no way friends. You didn't think you ever could be friends, not with the fact that the first time he met you, he accused you of treason and you slapped him across the face. But the point was, everything was back to the way it had always been. And hopefully it would stay that way for a long while. 

The phone rang and brought your thoughts back to the present. "Stark Industries Public Relations." 

"I've accepted a defense contract out in Los Angeles and will be moving there almost immediately." You had not expected to even hear your boss on the phone for once, let alone him dropping that news on you. 

"Hello to you to Mr. Stark," you responded when you recovered a little. "Is there anything I need to do regarding your move when it comes to the press?" 

"Not directly right now. I am also looking to possibly open a moving picture studio, but I don't want to put anything out there about that yet." Howard said. "But I didn't call just to give you a to-do list Y/N." 

"Then why did you call me?" You were a little confused by his remark. 

"Well, as I'm sure you are aware, Public Relations is a job best done when you reside in the same location as the person who are working for. I am shutting down the Stark Industries Public Relations office in New York when I move to California. I wanted to ask you if you would consider moving to LA with me. If you don't want to, I will find you a job with the same or higher position somewhere else in Stark Industries or somewhere else in the Public Relations field, but it is up to you." 

You were stunned. "I'm not saying no, but would I be able to get a little more time to think about it? It's a lot to take in and figure out." 

"Of course," Howard answered. "I wasn't expecting a direct answer right now. But I will tell you that you would not have to worry about housing right away if that is what's bothering you. I have plenty of space for you to live and work in a new place I just bought in Los Angeles. You don't have to decide right away, you can always work from your home as a satellite location for a little once we close down the office, but I really would like you to come to LA." 

"Of course. I will let you know as soon as I have decided," you promised before hanging up. 

***

Stepping off the plane in LA's airport was a completely new experience. You had decided to move out to the west coast with Howard because you did really like your job, and although you probably could have found something similar, you really didn't want to. You had also received something of a promotion as well. With Howard shutting down the entire PR office in New York, he wasn't sure if he wanted to open a new one, so you would be the only one handling Public Relations for the time being. It sounded like more than it was, but you already handled most to all of the PR stuff back in New York, and you could ask to hire more help if you decided you needed it. But Howard promised to behave when you approached him with concerns about the workload, and he has been sticking to that, so you weren't too worried. And because there wasn't a whole office for Public Relations, you got to work out of the giant mansion that Howard called "a cute new house." 

Jarvis greeted you at the airport. "Ms. Barnes! How are you doing after the flight?" You had decided to stop masquerading by your maiden name unless it was to protect you from the rumor mill. What Peggy said about moving on with your life was true, and you felt as if a weight was lifted. You still wore your wedding ring, mainly as a way to ward off unwanted attention, but your head wasn't stuck in the past anymore. 

You smiled at Jarvis. "I'm doing just fine, but I am definitely ready to just go back and take a nap. Has all of my stuff arrived?" 

Jarvis nodded. "All of your belongings arrived three days ago and have been taken to your wing of the house. I would have unpacked them, but I wasn't sure what you wanted to do with everything so I just left the boxes. I have put new sheets on your bed and there is soap and things in the shower so that you can relax when you arrive and you do not have to worry about unpacking right away." 

"Thank you Jarvis, you are a wonderful human being." 

"You're welcome Ms. Barnes." 

***

It was a few weeks later when you saw Agent Sousa. You were at the supermarket when you thought you heard someone walking with crutches the way Agent Sousa used to. You brushed it off until you heard your name. "Agent Sousa, what are you doing here?"

"It's Chief Sousa actually," he said. "The SSR opened up a Los Angeles office, and I volunteered to head it up." 

"That's wonderful!" you responded. "Have you been out here long?" 

"Only a few days. What about you? I didn't realize Howard Stark took all his employees with him when he moved out to LA." 

"He didn't take everyone," you said, laughing a bit. "Just me and Jarvis I think. We shut down the New York PR office and I'm pretty much handling everything by myself out here when it comes to the press. Everyone that I used to work with were moved around the company and stayed in New York." 

"Wow, sounds like a big responsibility," he laughed. "Do you like it out here?" 

"I actually do," you responded. "I was worried I was going to get homesick for New York, but I actually like being out here. Jarvis is not finding it as agreeable though. But you have to let me know how you like it out here, I wouldn't want to cause you bias." 

"You could never," he said with a smile. "But there is one thing that I could use your help with. The SSR is establishing a new office, obviously with a degree of secrecy. Would you be able to help me avoid the press a little bit? Offer some tips or something?" 

"Of course! I'll give you my office phone number and if you need any help setting up or any questions about maintaining secrecy, you can just give me a call." 

***

You ended up seeing Chief Sousa again, as he called a few days later to ask for help setting up the new office, so you found yourself once again at the SSR, but this time, you were not part of an investigation. When you walked into the Auerbach Theatrical Agency, which was what the sign said, a woman with red hair looked up. She looked vaguely familiar. "We're currently closed," she said. 

You were about to explain why you were there when Chief Sousa came walking out the back. "It's okay Rose, I called her in. She's going to help us set up the new location." 

Chief Sousa showed you through to the bullpen, and into his office. When you were both sitting, he brought out some papers. "So it seems that the press is more active out here because of Hollywood, and we've already taken some precautions against being exposed, but I just wanted to see if you could think of doing anything else." 

You looked over the plans. "You could change the address that goes into the city directory," you suggested. "Switch the numbers or say its on a street that sounds like this one also in LA. It would throw people off from thinking you're an actual talent agency, also while maintaining secrecy for the SSR." 

"That's a great idea, I'll see that someone does that for the telephone book as well." 

***

Daniel walked with you out to the lobby because he had something to bring to Rose, and before you went out the door, he made you promise that if you needed anything, you would let him know. You made him promise the same. 

When the door closed Rose turned to Daniel. "She looks really familiar, but I just can't place her." 

"You probably saw her back in New York," Daniel answered. "She works for Howard Stark." 

"Yeah I probably just saw her around one day." 

"She's the one that slapped Thompson." 

Rose's jaw dropped. "Her? You're kidding. And she's still alive?" 

"Yeah, that's the surprising part. We thought he might have been sweet on her." 

"I don't know Daniel. I've never known Thompson to have feelings." 

"Yeah, well you're right about that."


	9. Pressing Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 1, “The Lady in the Lake.”

It was another eight months after you helped Daniel set up the SSR Los Angeles office, and you haven't even gotten a chance to return. Howard had apparently forgotten his promise to behave, and you were almost constantly dealing with his shenanigans, whether it was contract negotiations for a particularly difficult actor, or damage control for the fact that he might have had an affair with a married woman whose husband was a very prominent member of society. You thought about asking for some help, but something just didn't feel right about it. The world seemed too quiet. And with your luck, you would somehow manage to hire a communist spy to be your assistant and everyone would have to deal with last year's debacle all over again. Besides, you didn't really have an office to commute to every day, unless you count the three minute walk from the bedroom wing to the "working wing," as Howard called it.

One morning you had just shuffled into the "office," still half asleep because you accidentally slept through Jarvis's normal morning coffee delivery. You had just sat down at your desk when the phone rang. You were too tired to be startled by it, and besides, who on earth would be calling you at exactly 9 am? Normally the phone didn't start ringing for another hour, giving you a chance to get some random work done before you had to start dealing with people.

You tried to answer without giving away your tiredness. "Stark Industries Public Relations."

"Y/N, it's Daniel," Sousa's voice came through the phone. "I was wondering if you could help me with something if you weren't too busy."

"I have been busy lately," you said. "But I would kill for the chance to get out of the house. What do you need?"

He laughed before continuing. "Could you make your way down to the SSR office some time today? I need some expertise on how to handle something regarding the press for a current case."

"Of course!" you practically jumped at the chance. "I'll drop by some time after lunch if that's okay."

"That's perfect actually, I actually have something to do in the morning anyway," he said.

"I will see you later then."

"Looking forward to it."

***

You walked into the SSR office a few hours later and was greeted by Rose, who sent you through to the office. You walked into the bullpen and saw the other agents at work at their desks, a contrast to the vast emptiness you saw when you were helping Daniel set up the place. Your heels clicked loudly on the flooring, causing a few of the agents' heads to turn and look at you. Feeling a little self conscious, you quickly walked towards the chief's office. Hearing raised voices inside, you faltered, but decided to knock and see if you should come back later. After surprisingly hearing "come in," you took a deep breath and opened the door. Daniel was standing in the office, along with an unfamiliar man and-

"Peggy?" you couldn't help the incredulity.

"Y/N?" she said, sounding just as surprised to see you. "What are you doing here?"

"I had the option to move out here with Howard to run the Public Relations department and I took it," you responded. "But right now, I'm not really sure. I got a call from Daniel this morning asking if I could stop by."

"Who's she?" the unfamiliar man cut in. "We don't have time for a sentimental reunion!"

"Detective Henry, this is Ms. Y/N Barnes, the head of Howard Stark's public relations department. I thought she could help us in regards to effectively dealing with the press," Sousa said.

So that was why you were called in. Detective Henry scoffed, saying something about how he knew how to handle this, but you elected to ignore him and turned back towards Daniel and Peggy. "Sure," you said. "What's been going on?"

Daniel and Peggy exchanged a look before Daniel spoke. "Where do we even begin? The body of a woman was found in a lake near here, but the lake was frozen on the hottest day of the year. Detective Henry thinks it might be the work of a serial killer that has resurfaced, and thinks we should turn to the press to help us find this guy. What do you think?"

"I know it was the Lady of the Lake Killer, and the press is our best resource in finding him!" Henry sounded exasperated that this was even being discussed.

You thought about it for a couple moments before answering. "Right now, I think it is in your best interest to keep the details of the case quiet. Although the press will bring more eyes and ears to the search, you also must combat hyperbole, excitement, and sensationalism. It would no doubt scare the killer off and lead to countless false leads," you decided.

Daniel nodded, but Henry did not look convinced. "If we don't hurry up, we could lose the killer anyway."

"What Y/N is saying makes sense," Peggy reasoned. "We definitely don't want to risk scaring the killer off, and although we are less in number, I trust the work of the SSR much more than the word of anyone who can read a newspaper."

***

The next day, you were called into the SSR office again. When you walked into the bullpen, you could hear arguing from the chief's office. You quickly walked over and knocked on the door before entering. Peggy and Detective Henry were at odds again.

You cleared your throat and everyone turned to you. "Is everything alright?"

Peggy opened her mouth but Detective Henry cut her off. "Great! Not her too! I can't believe I have to deal with this all the time now!"

You shot him a dirty look before turning to Daniel. "You called?"

It was Peggy that spoke. "The woman who was killed, she used to work at a facility called Isodyne Energy. When we poked around today, I discovered that she had been having an affair with the owner of the company, Calvin Chadwick, which would be an important lead to follow up on, especially because the body had such strange abnormalities."

"But we can't go after Chadwick!" Henry cut in. "The papers would crucify us!"

"Well how else do you suggest we get information?" Peggy said sharply. "Real information, not half lies from sensationalist journalists!"

"My contacts are trustworthy!" Henry countered.

At this point, you had had enough. "Alright!" you practically shouted. "Here's the best course of action. Detective, pick your top two choices for press contacts and bring their information to the SSR, they need to have their backgrounds thoroughly checked before we can involve them in this case. We can't put too much information out there because it will get mangled beyond recognition. Why don't you go get started on that?"

Detective Henry thought for a minute and begrudgingly nodded. "Fine," he said before walking out of the office.

Then you turned to Peggy. "He's not 100% wrong, but he shouldn't have went about it like that. If you can catch Chadwick in a public place and get a little information about it, that's fine. Just don't go badmouthing him to any journalists or anyone that has any connection to the media. I trust you to have enough tact."

Peggy nodded. "Thank you for helping with that. I'm used to dealing with difficult men, but I just can't seem to work with him. I'll call Mr. Jarvis and ask him what I should do. There's a horse race today that Chadwick is attending, I'll probably go to that."

"Did Jarvis knew you were out here before yesterday?" you asked. Peggy was staying in Howard's house just as you were, but she went right to the SSR office when she arrived in LA, hence why you didn't know she was in town. She was staying in Howard's house as well, which made you happy because you missed talking to her.

"Yeah, he picked me up from the airport. Did he not tell you?"

"He most definitely did not! I will be having a word with him when I get back that's for sure!"

Peggy laughed before turning to leave. Daniel gave her a dollar to bet on the horse race and she headed out to call Mr. Jarvis. You turned to him. "Difficult crew you got here huh?"

He grimaced. "You have no idea. I wish we didn't have to work with the cops on this one, but until we can find a way to fully take over the case, we're kind of stuck with that guy."

"Well having a mildly angry blonde who doesn't listen to anyone but himself can't be that new to you guys," you said jokingly. "You dealt with Thompson for how long?"

Daniel laughed. "You're right about that. But I don't know if I was just used to Thompson being Thompson or that he had a tiny bit of reason in his head, but he normally wasn't this bad."

"I don't know about reason," you laughed. "You've probably just gotten used to having him not around in LA."

"I don't know, I think he has gotten a tiny bit more bearable," Daniel responded. "He was changing a little bit."

"That's good. I'm glad he's becoming a slightly reasonable person."

"I think it was you Y/N," Daniel said, shocking you completely.

"Me? How?"

"Well towards the end of the Stark case when we all had to actually work together, he was probably the most civil around you. He asked Peggy about you after the case, but no one else."

You shook your head, not convinced that you had any part in this supposed metamorphosis of Thompson. "I think he had just realized that he was going to have to work with me for the case and he didn't want to get slapped again."

"Whatever you say Y/N."


	10. More Problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 3, “Better Angels.”

You tried not to get involved with the case that much; Detective Henry had made it very clear that you were not going to be listened to, and besides, it's not like you had all this free time to begin with. Peggy approached you once to ask about Calvin Chadwick's wife, Whitney Frost, but other than what was publicly available, you weren't really much help. You had never had to deal with her or her team, because Howard hadn't gotten around to flirting with her since he moved to LA, and she was notoriously difficult to book for movies.

But when the morning papers were handed over to you in your office one day with the headline, "Soviet Spy in Southland Scandal: Commie Wilkes Suspect in Isodyne Explosion," you started to wonder what was going on. You knew Isodyne was the company that Peggy was looking into, and although you didn't recognize Wilkes' face, you had heard his name mentioned once or twice through the house. Seeking out Peggy when she arrived home that day, you showed her the paper and her eyes went wide.

"They're framing Dr. Wilkes as a communist?" Peggy was outraged.

"Peggy what happened with him?" you asked, confused.

"We went to Isodyne," she said. "He showed me a film of an anomaly during atomic testing and then we were attacked. There was an explosion and Dr. Wilkes didn't make it out."

"And none of this was ever released to the authorities or press?" you questioned, slipping into Public Relations mode.

Peggy shook her head.

"That means someone is trying to take down your investigation," you said quietly. "By leaking this story to the press, you lose all credibility you had with Dr. Wilkes as a witness. Do you still think that this was Chadwick?"

"This confirms my theory that we are on the right track, regrettably. Chadwick must know that we are getting closer to figuring out what he is up to."

"Do you have anything else to go by?"

"Only a small lapel pin. But it is the same kind of lapel pin that Dottie Underwood tried to steal in New York, so it has to mean something."

***

Jarvis had taken Peggy to go visit Howard at his movie studio, so you had some peace and quiet. They had invited you along with them, but you declined. With helping the SSR figure out this case, other work had begin to pile up. The phone was ringing off the hook, and you dreaded answering it. Howard had been on a "beach getaway” this past weekend, and you didn't even want to know what happened while he was gone. Most of the calls were papers, trying to schedule interviews with Howard. But not all the calls were nothing.

"Stark Industries Public Relations."

"Hey it's Sousa. Peggy said you saw about Dr. Wilkes in the paper?"

"Yeah I saw that there was a story out about him."

"We were supposed to search his house today for anything regarding the case, but I just pulled up and it's already swarming with press. Can you come down here and send them away? None of them will listen to me." He sounded exasperated, which you completely understood.

"And you think they'll listen to me?"

"I don't think they'll listen to anyone," he countered. "But I've seen you slap Thompson and hold your own against anyone who tries to take advantage of you, so I thought they might listen to that."

"I hope you know that I only slapped Thompson that time because I was extremely angry at him for multiple reasons and that I can in no way slap any members of the press because I would lose my job," you told him. "But I'll try and help out however I can."

He gave you the address and you hung up the phone, checking to see if Jarvis was back yet so he could drive you. He didn't answer, so you assumed he was still at the movie studio with Peggy. You quickly called the studio and gave them a message for Jarvis and Peggy before picking your favorite of Howard's cars and driving off.

***

When you pulled up, the place was mobbed with press. You parked the car and quickly walked towards the house, only to be bombarded with questions. You pushed through all the press and then turned towards them. "I'm sorry but you are not authorized to be here at this time," you told them.

They did nothing but try and push past you. Thankfully, another agent stepped in and told them they were not allowed more than 100 yards from the house, but once you walked them there, they still wouldn't leave. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Jarvis pull up with Peggy and quickly walk with her towards the front door. Before anyone in the mob could notice the new arrivals, you took control.

"Listen here!" you shouted, which surprisingly shut them up. "You are not allowed here right now, and it would be in your best interest to cooperate with me. Standing here right now will do none of you any good and if you continue to anger me or my friends, who are trying to do their jobs right now, I can promise you that you will not only get none of the information when it actually comes out, but your names and publications will go on Howard Stark's blacklist and you will no longer be allowed to work with him and his associates in any capacity. Now, does anyone have any questions?"

All the journalists turned away and hung their heads, slowly walking to their cars and leaving. "That's what I thought," you muttered.

You turned around to head inside and saw the other agent staring at you in shock. You smiled and walked right past him, joining Peggy and and Daniel as Daniel was bringing up the stack of papers that he found in Wilkes' floorboard.

"Why would Wilkes have a Russian passport?" Daniel asked, getting up.

"Maybe because he's a Russian spy," a new voice cut in. You all turned to see the agent who was with you outside with the press, holding a gun and looking like he just figured out the entire world.

"Do you have any evidence to support that preposterous theory Agent Vega?" Peggy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Found this under his mattress," Vega responded, holding up the gun. "Same gun that was used to kill the agents moving Jane Scott's body. Your pal Wilkes wasn't just a spy, he killed two of our guys."

"Yeah and what a fantastic spy he is, hiding all his evidence easily for everyone to find," you quipped. "If you actually bought into this obvious cover up Agent, well then you're as dull as the beige suit you're wearing."

He looked at you venomously as Peggy suppressed a small giggle, handing over the gun and turning to leave. Daniel looked at you. "What?" you asked.

"I wear beige suits!" he said defensively.

"Oh relax, at least you sometimes wear those Hawaiian shirts to brighten the color," you said. "Even Thompson used to dress better than him, and that's saying something."

Daniel still looked offended, and Peggy was stifling her laughter even more.

***

You, Peggy, and Jarvis had gone back to the movie studio to see what Howard thought about what was going on. Peggy was silent as Howard watched the Isodyne video. After he was done, he rewound the tape and motioned to you to watch it as well. What you saw was like something out of a nightmare. "Oh my lord," you said, watching the rift open and suck everything in the vicinity inside of it.

"You've got a blockbuster flick on your hands Peg," Howard said, leaning over your shoulder and watching it again. "You have any idea what could do that?"

"Zero Matter," Peggy answered. "Or at least that's what Dr. Wilkes thought. I was hoping you'd have some answers."

"Well that kind of power doesn't exist in the natural world," he said, standing up. You continued to stare at the film, speechless. "This 'Zero Matter' stuff could be the greatest find of the century."

"Well apparently it's important enough for Isodyne to fabricate a story about Dr. Wilkes being a communist," Jarvis cut in.

You finally looked up at everyone. "That's an easy enough setup," you said. "He's already a target because of the color of his skin."

"I won't let them tarnish Dr. Wilkes' name like this," Peggy said. She had an expression you almost couldn't read, and you were about to say something about it when Howard cut in.

"Wilkes was a member of the Arena Club?" He asked.

"Is that what that pin is from?" Peggy asked.

"Yeah," Howard said. "I'm amazed they allow him to be a member. They keep their ranks male and pale. Jarvis here isn't even white enough for them."

Jarvis handed Howard a drink and then turned to you and Peggy. "Please. I'm one sixteenth Turkish."

"What kind of organization is it?" Peggy asked.

This you actually did know. "Social club for LA's silver spoon crowd since 1906," you supplied.

"The influential, the powerful. The Arena Club is where they all congregate," Howard finished for you.

"They've been trying unsuccessfully to recruit Mr. Stark for years," you added.

"I'm not a joiner," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Women aren't allowed," Jarvis said.

"Well, there's that too."

"That pin belonged to one of the men that tried to kill me last night," Peggy said, getting back on topic. "And Dottie Underwood tried to steal one just like it back in New York."

Howard looked confused. "Who's Dottie Underwood?"

"She kidnapped you, at gunpoint not long ago," Jarvis said. Howard still looked confused. "You were wearing your brown jacket."

Howard snapped his fingers. "The Russian knockout with the killer backhand!"

You and Jarvis exchanged a look of complete and utter disappointment. "Howard Stark, you are the most ridiculous person I have ever met," you said, turning to leave.

"Hey watch it Barnes, or I'll fire you!"

"You wouldn't make it 3 hours without me!" you called, walking out of the room.

Howard looked at Jarvis, who nodded. "She is right, you know."


	11. Surprise Visits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 3, “Better Angels.”

After talking to Howard, you and Peggy headed back over to the SSR to work on the case. You met Daniel out front, who had stepped away for a little, and all headed inside. When the door to the bullpen opened, an agent handed Daniel a copy of the newspaper, the story about Wilkes covering the front page. Daniel was fuming. "How did they get this? We haven't even released a statement yet!"

Peggy shook her head. "Isodyne desperately wants the world to believe that Jason Wilkes was a communist," she said. "And they have friends at the times."

They both headed towards Daniel's office, but you took a quick stop at one of the agents desks to ask for the primary phone number of the office and the chief's number. You were spending more and more time with the SSR and this case, so it was good to have just in case you ever needed to get in contact with the office. After writing down the numbers and putting the paper in your purse, you headed into the chief's office. "I can start seeing what I can find out about the press's involvement and-" You stopped your sentence short when you saw who was sitting at Daniel's desk. "Thompson? What are you doing here?"

"Barnes?" Thompson sounded shocked. "Don't you live in New York?"

He didn't sound like this was going to be the nicest of reunions, so you assumed the almost friendly way that you guys parted ways was a fluke. "I could ask you the same question Blondie."

"Ladies first." Guess he was still a bitch.

"Howard moved out to LA for a defense contract, and I was invited to move as well." Short and sweet.

"Funny, this doesn't look like Public Relations, and it definitely doesn't look like Stark's office," he said.

"Jack," Daniel cut in. "I called her in to ask some questions about how to best avoid the press for this case. Right now, I know why she's here more than I know why you're here."

"I had some business in town," he said nonchalantly. "Figured I'd drop by and clean up another one of your messes." This was directed at Peggy.

"Is that what you think you do?" she asked him, not hiding her glaring look.

He chose to ignore that comment. "Your incident report from the accident at Isodyne," he said, handing her the file. "I fixed a couple of details."

"I chased the 'Russian spy' into the lab but couldn't apprehend him before he set off an explosion," Peggy read off. "This is rubbish."

"This is covering your behind Carter," Thompson said. "I'm not filing a report about you running around Hollywood with this guy. People might get the wrong idea."

"So you blatantly forge documents?" you cut in, appalled. "I don't know what control you think you have right now, but I can guarantee that this will bite you in the ass."

"I don't care!" he shouted. "I can't have people accusing my agents of being communists!"

"This isn't about that anymore though," you said quietly. "This is about control."

"Y/N is right Thompson, this is ridiculous," Peggy said. "The only communist I know is Dottie Underwood. Have you even gotten one iota of information out of her yet? Or is she still rearranging office furniture atop your sternum?"

Thompson shifted. The answer was obviously no, but he did not want to admit it. "Don't worry about things that don't concern you Carter."

You couldn't help but let out a little laugh when you pictured Dottie pushing a desk on top of Jack's chest and threatening him.

"Something funny Barnes?" he asked venomously.

"To me, very." you shot back. "But I'm not sure you would find the same comedic value in it."

"Alright you two," Peggy said. "This does concern us. She was trying to steal from the very organization that we are investigating."

"And that investigation is concluded!" Thompson barked, holding out a pen to Peggy. "Your John Hancock please."

"I'm not signing my name to that."

"Fine." he said, starting to sign the document. "You don't need to."

"You can't do that Jack she was acting as part of my investigation!" Daniel said angrily.

"You can't do that because it's illegal!" You practically yelled in his face.

"Carter was on loan from my office," he said. "And I do what needs to be done."

Disgusted with his actions, you walked right out of the office and towards the door. You had gotten a ride with Jarvis and Peggy to the office, so you decided to just wait for Peggy in the front lobby area with Rose. After a few moments, Peggy walked in and let you both know that Jarvis was on his way to pick you both up, but that you should be forewarned that Howard had his "production assistants" all over the house.

You groaned, knowing that meant you weren't going to get any work done at home. You told Peggy to let Jarvis know that you would call him later for a ride, along with the fact that you had some paperwork in your bag and you were going to see if Daniel had an extra space somewhere for you to work. She nodded, waving goodbye when Jarvis' car pulled up, and you headed back into the bullpen to try and find Chief Sousa.

***

Walking back through the hallway, you spotted Thompson talking to some old man in hushed voices. When they heard you walking through the hall, the older man stopped talking. You held your head high and walked right past them, heels clicking powerfully.

Once back in the bullpen, you asked an agent where Daniel might be, but the agent said he wasn't sure. You thanked him and started to look around to see if you could take over somewhere to work and not be too much of a bother. You quickly spied a desk in the corner that was completely empty of any belongings and sat down to work. A few moments after you sat down, you heard someone clear their throat behind you. "I thought you were just brought in for a couple press questions on this case," Thompson said. "But apparently Sousa gave you a desk and everything."

You turned around to look at him. His tone didn't sound as angry as when you were in the chief's office before with Peggy and Daniel, and you didn't want to escalate the situation, so instead of sassing back, you just told him the truth. "Currently, there is a meeting of 'production assistants' going on at Howard's house, which really just means the place is swarming with women in bathing suits, and I have too much work to do right now to have to run around the house trying to find somewhere quiet to work. I didn't think anyone was using this desk, so I'm borrowing it."

"Working for Stark sounds exhausting."

"Trust me, it is. That's why I am here trying to work instead of back at the house. Sometimes quiet and time away from all that is necessary."

He cracked a small smile. "Knock yourself out with the desk. I don't think it belongs to anyone, but you can always just ask Sousa when he shows up. As long as you don't bother me I don't really care what you do," he said before walking away.

Brushing off his completely different attitude towards you, you put your head down and started to work on the paperwork you had for Howard. After about an hour and a half, you felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around to see Daniel standing behind you. "I thought you left with Peggy," he said, confused.

You told him the same thing you had told Thompson, and he understood the need for peace and quiet immediately. He started to walk away, but you quickly called him back and stood up. "Can I talk to you about something odd?"

"Sure," he responded. "What is it?"

"When I was walking back into the bullpen to try and find somewhere to work I saw Thompson talking to an older man. They stopped talking as they heard me walk by so I have no idea what they were talking about, but I just have this odd feeling about it," You said quietly, looking around for anyone who could be eavesdropping.

Daniel nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. I still think it's odd that he just shows up in LA after something happens, clamoring to get details changed and trying to wrap up an investigation that is far from complete. I'll try to keep my eye on him."

"I will as well," you said. "He acted civil towards me before, when you were gone and I had just sat down, so maybe I can use that to my advantage and weasel some information out of him."

Daniel laughed. "Well it wouldn't be the first time you covertly grilled an SSR agent about what they know," he said, referring to the case last year, where you secretly got some information for Peggy and Jarvis about what the SSR knew regarding Howard's whereabouts.

You smiled back. "No it would not. And something tells me it might not be the last time either."


	12. Ghosts and Drinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 3, “Better Angels.”

A few days later, you were peacefully dozing on the couch in Howard's front room when Peggy and Daniel came busting through the front door, practically beside themselves. No one else was home at that time, so you couldn't even go back to sleep. "Where's the fire?" you asked sleepily. "What did Howard do now?"

"More like where is Howard now?" Peggy asked. "We need his scientific expertise on something important."

"Things float around Peggy and we have no idea how to fix it," Daniel supplied.

You were still tired and confused. "What do you mean things float around Peggy?"

"Watch this,” Daniel said, pulling a pen out of his pocket. Holding it up to Peggy's head, he let go of the pen, but it remained where he had held up, floating in midair.

You couldn't believe your eyes. "Peggy I think you somehow found a ghost."

She laughed at you, but her face immediately went back to being worried. "It's not a ghost. It's a side effect of Zero Matter. I was at Isodyne the night the Zero Matter exploded. I wasn't killed, but I was still close enough to retain side effects."

You literally had no idea what to say. "I don't know Peggy. I'll call Howard at the movie studio and ask him to come home immediately to look at you. Hopefully we can find a way to reverse this."

***

"Wow," Howard said as he watched a pen float in midair around Peggy. "That's wild."

"But treatable I hope?" Peggy asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

Howard made a thermometer float around Peggy and then upon trying to make a bottle of wine float too, watched it crash to the ground. "Damn," he said. "Should've used the cheap stuff."

Daniel was becoming more and more impatient with Howard's antics. "We get it. Stuff floats around her. Why?" he asked, bringing the attention back to the matter at hand. "And how? Is she okay?" You could tell he was concerned about Peggy, probably more than he should be.

"Everybody's so impatient," Howard answered. "You're missing the obvious. Anybody?" he asked, looking around.

"Howard stop trying to teach the class and tell us," you said, exasperated. "Now's not the time for this."

Howard shot you a look before continuing. "The temperature around Peggy is approximately seven degrees cooler than the rest of the room."

"Not unlike the lady in the lake," Jarvis realized. "And the detective. And the medical examiner!"

"Or it could be a ghost," you said. Both Jarvis and Howard looked at you like you had three heads. "What?" you said. "It's a possibility."

"That's a constant. A good thing to have in an equation," Howard said, ignoring your theory.

"But they all froze to death!" Peggy said, worried.

"Relax!" Howard said, writing things down on a notepad. "You're not freezing, you're not contaminated with Zero Matter. Who can tell me how I know this?"

"Howard," you warned. "Enough with the instruction."

Jarvis slowly raised his hand. "Jarvis? Do you have a hypothesis?" Howard asked.

"There's a disruption in the gravitational field near Miss Carter," he answered.

"Excellent!" Howard answered.

Daniel was not as amused by this. "How do we get it to stop? Professor?" He asked.

"I've got an idea," Howard responded, rushing off and leaving everyone else to follow him.

***

Once down in the lab, you started to tune Howard out. Something about film making and light waves, but to be honest, it kind of put you to sleep. Zoning out a little, you only came back to earth when Howard was attaching a container of liquid to a sprayer. He pumped the mist out around Peggy, and you couldn't believe what you saw. A figure started to form as Howard's concoction hit it.

"It's working," Jarvis said. The figure started to take a recognizable shape.

"Dr Wilkes!" Peggy said, breath catching in her throat.

There was a second of silence before you really realized what was going on. "HA!" you shouted. "So it WAS a ghost!" Everyone looked at you again. "What?" you asked defensively. "Everyone was belittling my ghost theory and here it is! I was right!"

Peggy tried to put her hand on his shoulder, but found she went right through him. "Howard what's happening? Why can't I touch him?" she asked.

"Ghost," you answered.

Howard gave you a look that said 'shut up' before answering Peggy. "He's visible, he's just not tangible. You can't touch him anymore than you can touch a light out of a projector."

Content that you were right all along, you zoned out again, only to be shocked when Dr. Wilkes started coughing. You heard Dr. Wilkes say that he was going to throw up, and turned around to watch Howard lick some of the chemicals off his fingers. You walked right up to him and slapped the back of his head for that.

"What?"

"You're going to poison yourself! And then I'll have to deal with everything!"

"It's not that bad," he said defensively.

Shaking your head at him, you started to walk away. "I can't deal with you anymore Howard, I have actual work to do," you said before walking out of the room and heading up to do some work. If your boss was going to consume every chemical mixture he makes, you were going to have to get a head start on his last will and testament.

***

Working from your home was nice, but sometimes you just need a place that you could use to get away and still get work done. Soon, the SSR office became that place. Chief Sousa was nice enough to keep lending you the empty desk, and you found yourself either helping with the investigation or just quietly doing your work there. One night, you were working late at the SSR office because Howard decided it would be a good idea to have music playing all through the house, and while you did love Benny Goodman, you needed some peace and quiet. You thought that the only people left in the office were you and Daniel, but that was disproved when Thompson came strutting across the bullpen. "You guys are here late," he remarked, swinging his briefcase and grabbing his hat.

"Early bird's got nothing on the night owl," Daniel said.

"And I needed the peace and quiet," you added.

Jack grabbed the file that Daniel was currently combing through, read some of the details off and handing it back, proclaiming that it was boring and he didn't really care.

"I'm sure you and Peggy have a lot of excitement waiting for you back in New York," Daniel said, taking the file back from Thompson.

"Yeah," Jack responded. "She's still a pistol," he added, out of literally nowhere. Apparently he doesn't see her for one week and he forgets that she's better at her job than he is, but you didn't dare say that out loud. "You two seemed to have patched up whatever it was that sent you packing out west," Thompson said, trying to pry for details.

"The only thing that brought me out west was a promotion Jack," Daniel said, shutting down his prying.

"You sure it wasn't a broken heart?"

"I don't know where you get your ideas," Daniel said, giving you a look that said 'kill me' before turning back to Jack. "As a matter of fact I'm getting engaged."

"You're kidding? Really?"

"Yeah."

"Good for you."

"Thank you."

Thompson suddenly got a lot friendlier. "Why don't you wrap this up and I'll buy you a drink. You can tell me all about her."

"Sorry Jack," Daniel said. "A chief's work is never done, you know how it is."

"Come on," Jack pushed. "Oklahoma can wait, you can show me that Frolic Room Bar I keep hearing about."

Daniel shook his head. "Next time."

"You're on," Jack said. "Next time it will be."

While they were having their conversation, you had started to pack up your things. When you walked out the door, you cursed and realized something. "Hey Daniel?" you called.

Him and Jack both stopped. "What's up Y/N?"

"Can you drop me off at Howard's after you're done with whatever you were doing? I got a ride from Jarvis here and he's probably in bed right now."

Daniel started to respond, but Jack cut him off. "Why don't you come out for a drink? I can drive you home in my rental car, and someone can show me the sights of LA because all I've done since I got here has been work."

You stood there, shocked. "You sure you can stand me?" you asked.

Jack smiled. "I can for one night if it means I can actually say I did something in Los Angeles and not just worked the whole time."

After thinking for a few seconds, you decided to just go with him. You could use this time to covertly grill him about his conversation with that older man, and you wouldn't have to take a taxi to get home. "Deal," you said.

"Alright then," he said, following you out of the office. Once in the car, he turned to you. "So, where are we off to?"


	13. Practically an Agent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot with season 2, episode 3, “Better Angels.”

You directed Jack to your favorite restaurant in the city, and you walked in together. Once you were seated, he spoke first. "Why this place?"

You looked around and shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I guess I just like the atmosphere because it reminds me a little of New York."

"Yeah I see that," he said. "Is it a bar too?"

You shook your head. "I know you asked for a bar, but this place is the best in the city. And I was really craving a hamburger and fries."

"You know what, a hamburger and fries sounds great right now," he said smiling.

Looking across at him, you were struck with how handsome he was when he smiled. Quickly filing those thoughts away so you could deal with them later, you smiled back at him. Once the waitress came by to take your order, the small talk started up again.

You both were being surprisingly nice to each other. All the animosity that had shown up since he showed up in LA without warning had seemingly disappeared. And you weren't complaining. As fun as it was to mess with him, this dynamic was actually really nice. And you were thankful for even a tiny bit of quiet in your life right now, with everything that's going on with the case against Isodyne and Howard being out of his mind, as usual.

You both had quieted down when the food arrived, because you were starving. After a few minutes of comfortable silence while you both ate, he started the conversation. "If working for Howard Stark is as crazy and stressful as it is, then why do you do it?"

You stopped, not entirely sure what to say at that. "I don't know," you answered. "I started three years ago as a secretary for him when I needed a job, and once he realized I was good at handling the situations when he screwed up, I got moved into the Public Relations Department. My life wasn't always this chaotic though. Before the fiasco with the weapons vault last year, I barely saw Howard."

Thompson looked surprised. "Really? But didn't he constantly cause trouble?"

"Well yeah, but nothing was ever so bad that I had to deal with him. He would come by every two weeks or so for a short meeting, where he would basically let me know what was going on and give me anything that I had to do for him, but other than that if something went wrong it was normally Jarvis on the other end of the phone line."

"And how did you get mixed up with that whole case last year?"

"Well when I saw that Howard was at my office door holding a box of cupcakes and we weren't scheduled for a meeting, I was immediately concerned that he screwed up. Bad. Then he told me what happened with his vault, and how he was being called to the senate for a hearing, and I thought 'okay, it's going to be a lot of work for a few days, but he didn't break into his own vault, so this all should be over soon.' I didn't know he was going to skip the last day and go on the run. After that, I felt like I was drowning in work. My office phone never stopped ringing and I had absolutely no idea how long this was going to last for. Then you showed up and everything just got way more confusing because now there was a federal investigation into Howard's whereabouts and I still had no idea what to do," you said, recounting the stressful times.

He nodded solemnly. "I know I've already said this, but I really am sorry for how I treated you that day. We were under so much pressure from the federal government I was willing threaten anyone if I thought it could get the case wrapped up."

"I realize that now," you responded. "But I will say that at the time I did want to kill you for that."

He smiled just a tiny bit. "I wouldn't have blamed you if you did honestly. But I'm glad we were able to get the case figured out and Howard isn't still at large."

You nodded. "You and me both. But I suppose we had another one on our hands with everything that's happened right now though."

"Yeah." He sounded tired. "I'm just glad that's over."

You decided to pry a little more. "So you're flying back to New York tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yep. Carter and I will be flying back to get back to work on all the cases waiting for us in New York."

You smiled, albeit falsely. "Sounds exciting," you said, knowing full well there is no way Peggy is getting on that plane tomorrow because she knows the case isn't closed yet. "And I'll have my hands full with Howard. Everything will be the way it was."

Jack visibly relaxed, which struck you as just a little bit odd. Probably because he also knew Peggy, and he thought that if you thought she was leaving, then she would actually leave. What he didn't account for, was the fact that this wasn't totally a friendly conversation. You were still fishing for information about that old man you saw Jack talking to at the SSR office. And you were going to find out. "Yeah," he echoed softly. "Everything will be the way it was."

"Do you think you'll visit out here more often?" you asked, seemingly changing the subject but in reality you were getting closer and closer to what you wanted. "Visit your friends?"

"You mean Sousa?" he asked, looking at you. "I don't know the rest of the LA agents that well, so he's the only one I really worked with."

You feigned confusion. "Well you have to know some people out here," you said. "Like that man that I saw you talking to at the office when I came back to find some peace and quiet so I could work. You could visit him."

Jack's expression turned a little confused, like he wasn't totally sure who you were talking about, but then his face went back to normal. "Oh, he was just a friend of my father's who happened to be in town for the week. He's normally in Washington DC. Other than Sousa, I really don't know anyone out here."

Hmm. Interesting. You didn't want to push any further, just in case he got defensive and shut down the civil conversation you were having. "Oh. So you would never want to come back? Even just for a vacation?"

He paused for a minute. "I don't really know. I really don't see why everyone love this place so much. Sure it's nice, but I'm still partial to New York, ya know?"

"I know," you answered. "I love it out here, but I do definitely miss New York. I spent my whole life there, so it will always have a place in my heart."

***

After Jack drove you home and dropped you off, you saw Peggy and Jarvis sitting in the kitchen. Both of them looked visibly shaken. Dropping your bag, you rushed over to them. "What happened?"

"Calvin Chadwick and Whitney Frost hired a hit man to try and kill Miss Carter," Jarvis answered. "We must be very careful about who we trust."

"Oh my god," you said. "Are you both alright?"

"Luckily Mr. Jarvis was here or I wouldn't be so sure," Peggy said. "Where were you Y/N? I thought you were asleep upstairs."

"I was working late at the SSR office because Howard was playing music all through the house and I had a horrible headache. Then I got dinner with Jack and he dropped me off here," you said, turning to go upstairs.

"Wait, you went out with Thompson?" Peggy asked, dumbfounded.

"Not like a date!" you said defensively. Turning to Jarvis, you said "Normally you are in bed by now, so I asked Daniel if he could drive me back from the office when he was done, and Jack was bothering him about working so late. Jack offered to drive me home if I showed him some fun place or something in LA, so I accepted because I figured that Daniel was probably working on something important and didn't need Jack bothering him about it. We just went to a diner and got hamburgers."

Peggy didn't look entirely convinced, but she let the matter go. You definitely didn't just go on a date with Jack Thompson, that's for damn sure.

***

The next morning, you called the SSR office right at 9 am, calling right through to Daniel's office. He picked up the phone tiredly. "SSR, Chief Sousa."

"Late night working?" you asked, a smile in your voice.

"Hey Y/N," he said. "What do you need?"

You lowered your voice a little. "Are you by yourself right now?"

He sounded a little confused. "Yeah. Why?"

"I wanted to talk to you about Jack," you answered. "I don't have all the answers I wanted, but I have some information."

This piqued Daniel's interest. "What did you guys do last night? Did he tell you anything?"

"Not much," you answered. "But he did tell me that the old man I saw him talking to was a friend of his father's who lives and works in Washington DC. Which may explain why that man was here, right now, while this case is going on that's involving a man who's running for the US Senate, in Washington DC."

There was a small pause. "That makes sense. Especially since he would have a clearance level that would get him into the SSR without an issue. Thanks for that Y/N, I'll keep a lookout on who is coming and going in the office."

"Thompson told me he was flying back with Peggy today, but you and I both know that Peggy has no intentions of getting on a plane at any time in the near future, not until this case is fully solved."

"Hopefully he doesn't realize that she's not coming back until he's already back in New York, this way we won't have to deal with him."

You laughed at that. "Not fond of the surprise visit?"

"Nope. Especially when he tried to shut down my investigation."

"Well now you have even more to look at for this case," you said. "I'm honestly surprised he told me that much," you said. "Am I that good at lying?"

"I don't think so Y/N," Daniel said. "I think Thompson has a soft spot for you and that's why he told you that stuff."

You scoffed. "Daniel, like I said last time, that is absolutely not true. You're just over analyzing everything."

"Whatever you say Y/N. But I still may use your interrogation skills if he ever shows up unannounced again."

After wrapping up the conversation with Daniel, you hung up the phone and got down to the list of things that you had to do today. But the whole day, one thought kept plaguing your mind:

_Why does everything keep thinking you and Jack like each other?_


	14. Foiled Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 4, “Smoke and Mirrors.”

Maybe a day after Peggy "accidentally" missed her flight back to New York, she informed you of what was currently going on with the case, their plans to raid the Arena Club, and later called to ask you to come down to the SSR to help. You walked in right as Daniel was giving the instructions of what to do to the other agents. You waved at him and Peggy and sat down on one of the desks behind the huddle of people.

Daniel finished his sentence and turned to you. "And this is Miss Y/N Barnes, if you haven't seen her already around here. She's the head of Howard Stark's Public Relations Department and she'll be going with us to help in any way she can. We are dealing with powerful rich men here, so it would be in our best interest not to make more enemies than we have to. Any questions, you can ask her, and if she asks you to do something, do it."

You nodded in greeting as all the agents turned around looked at you. Then Daniel continued to go over the plan, and you just sat back and listened. When the phone rang, you immediately were on edge. Then the men came walking into the bullpen and you had a feeling you knew what was about to happen. It was only when that old man you saw talking to Jack that day walk in and stand directly facing Sousa and Peggy did you start to put the pieces together.

He introduced himself as Vernon Masters and got right down to business. "The War Department has decided to audit this branch's cases, past and present," he said.

"This is outrageous!" Peggy exclaimed.

Daniel handed her a piece of paper. "Peggy," he said softly. "It's an executive order, it comes straight from DC."

"So," Vernon said, looking around. "if you'd just crack open your files, we'll get to work, and I'm sure this will all be done in no time! Chief, would you mind showing my men around?"

Daniel turned and started to do what he was asked. You just sat still on the desk, watching everything unfold. Maybe you would be able to catch something if you just hung back, and maybe you wouldn't bring any suspicion to yourself, because you really weren't supposed to be here right now. After all, you weren't an agent.

Then Masters turned his gaze to Peggy. "And you must be the Agent Carter I've been hearing so much about. Have I been dying to talk to you," he said, lips drawn in a straight line while Peggy started venomously back. She started to walk over towards Daniel's office with Vernon following her.

When the door shut, you caught Daniel's eye and waved him over towards you. "That's the man!" you whispered. "That's the man I saw talking to Jack that day when I came back! Jack said he worked in DC, and now he's trying to sabotage the case!"

Before Daniel could answer, one of Vernon's men came up to you two. "Who are you?" he asked you roughly. "Why are you here?"

You were absolutely not telling him the truth, and you were blanking on a cover up, but Daniel beat you to it. "She's my fiancee," he said, grabbing your hand and smiling at you. His eyes screamed "Don't ruin this for us!"

Your eyes suddenly glazed a little, and you played the part that you sometimes had to in business meetings for Howard. You smiled at Daniel and the other man, batted your eyelashes, and smiled dreamily. "Yeah, I just stopped in for a surprise visit today," you practically giggled.

The man gave you both a look and turned away, and you immediately let go of Daniel's hand, smiling at him jokingly. "Fiancee huh?" you laughed as he grimaced. "Cheating on someone?"

He gave you a dirty look, but then softened. "It was the only thing I could think of! Shut up! Can we get back to our other conversation please?"

You recounted what you were saying before you guys were interrupted and Daniel's eyes grew wide. "If that's who you saw talking to Thompson, that means he's probably working with him. And that's not good."

You nodded. "I definitely think Vernon has been trying to manipulate Thompson, but I don't know if Thompson has willingly decided to work against the law. Based on his actions during the Howard Stark case, I think if Thompson has any part of this with Vernon, he doesn't know what he's really doing."

"Defending Thompson are we?" he said, laughing just a bit. "Are you getting a soft spot for him Y/N?"

You swatted at his shoulder for that ridiculous remark. "Oh don't you start! I'm just trying to look at the most plausible explanations here!"

He raised his eyebrows at you before responding with "whatever you say, I-." You turned to see why he had stopped so suddenly to watch him hobble away from you and towards one of Vernon's men, before yelling at him a bit. Turning back around, you saw Vernon leave the chief's office and caught Peggy's eye through the blinds. She looked more distressed than she did before.

***

You waited until all of Vernon's men left, and some other SSR agents left not long after that. You saw Peggy start to dart out of the door from the corner of you eye and you motioned to Daniel, both of you following her. "I didn't account for the Central District Judge being in the council's pocket," you heard Daniel say. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for believing that people have ethics and morals," she said shortly. Something that Vernon said to her must have rattled her, because she was acting completely different.

Daniel took a step closer to Peggy, with you doing the same. "The area club has removed any incriminating evidence by now," he said lowly. "Our only chance at infiltrating that place is locked in a broom closet, and I doubt we can poison him again," Daniel added. "What's our next step?"

"Your next step is to stay here and save your hide," Peggy said, and you could see the beginnings of a tear in her eyes. Your heart broke for her, and you knew that Vernon must have said something threatening Daniel, who she had a soft spot for, as much as she would never admit it.

"Why, because a tidal wave is coming and all my friends are going to be branded commies?" he asked, smiling just a little at her. "Yeah, I got that speech too."

You were mostly silent this time, but decided to cut in. "Peggy, we're in this with you until the end. I promise."

"It's only going to get more difficult Daniel," she said. "And Y/N you have another job that requires a lot of attention. I can't ask you to follow me all the time."

"I will," you assured her. "And I doubt Howard would really mind if I was helping you," you added.

She smiled at you before turning back to Daniel. "They've taken all the evidence from the SSR," she said.

Daniel shook his head. "Hmm, not all of it," he said, pulling something out of his pocket and discreetly showing it to us. "Tissue sample from Jane Scott's autopsy. I convinced Dr. Samberly to misplace it and told him I'd put in a good word for him with Rose."

"You are brilliant!" Peggy exclaimed lowly, the fight back in her eyes. "Let's pay another visit to our guest in the broom closet!"

"Wait one second," you said, stopping them both from walking past you. "You have someone in a broom closet?"

They both turned around at your exclamation, and nodded. "I'll explain later," Peggy told you. "But for now, just stay with us until we head out of this place. I don't know if there is anyone left in the building that is working for Masters."

You nodded and quickly followed them to a downstairs closet, and after a few seconds of Peggy and Daniel whispering to each other you watched Daniel take his gun out and enter. Peggy and you hid behind a rack of boxes and a few minutes later, a man came running out, and weirdly, Daniel wasn't following him. You turned to Peggy, who looked pleased, and followed her into the closet where Daniel was laying on the ground. "Well that went well," she remarked.

"Yeah," Daniel answered. "Still don't know why I had to take a punch."

Peggy smiled. "It's the least you could contribute, he's already throttled me twice."

Daniel nodded before laying back down, and you laughed at him.

***

Back in Howard's lab, it turns out that Peggy and Daniel had attached a microphone to Mr. Hunt (the man from the broom closet), and were going to listen to what he told Calvin Chadwick and Whitney Frost. The one snag was, Chadwick wasn't home, and Hunt explicitly told Frost he didn't want to talk to her.

"That shows that not even her husband's henchmen see her for who she really is," Daniel said, looking up at the small group that was huddled around the radio device. Once at home, Jarvis and Dr. Wilkes had joined you to listen to what Mr. Hunt had to say.

"And who knows if her husband even sees her the way she really is?" you added, and Peggy nodded in agreement.

It looked like Chadwick was going to be a while, so you decided to take a seat in the corner of the lab. Peggy and Dr. Wilkes had gone off and were having a quiet conversation across the room, and you could see the way that Daniel was looking at them. It was sadness and it was jealousy, but you decided not to comment on it and maybe he won't say anything about Jack, because both him and Peggy would not stop teasing you about him. Soon the waiting became longer and you could barely keep your eyes open. Bidding everyone goodnight, you headed up into your room and got ready for bed, falling asleep almost the minute your head hit the pillow.


	15. Mission Prep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 5, “The Atomic Job.”

When you walked into the lab the next morning after your morning coffee, still in your pajamas, you saw Dr. Wilkes, Jarvis, and Peggy all huddled together. You knocked on the wall next to you, interrupting their conversation. "Morning," you yawned. "Why are you guys already dressed?"

Jarvis was the first to answer. "We attempted to steal Jane Scott's body," he said. "And now we are discussing the best possible way to break into an 'impenetrable' facility."

Your eyes widened a bit. "This early? Why didn't you guys wake me up if you were going to attempt a body heist?"

Peggy laughed a bit, knowing you weren't actually serious. "Well I would have, but from what Howard tells me not even an atom bomb would wake you up."

"Which is coincidentally what we have to stop from happening," Jarvis added.

Almost instantly, you were focused. "What do we have to do to stop this?"

"The two warheads that Whitney Frost is after are stored in a Roxxon facility with apparently 'impenetrable' defenses," Peggy said. "We have to get to them before Whitney does."

"Won't be the first time you guys have broken into Roxxon," you joked. "The Roxxon implosion is kind of what got me involved in this mess last year."

Dr. Wilkes looked confused. "Do you two regularly break into industrial facilities?" he asked Peggy and Jarvis.

"Once," Jarvis answered.

"And you blew up the place," you added.

"We most definitely did not!" Peggy said. "Leet Brannis was the one who set off the Nitramene I was trying to stop him!"

"Still made the place implode," you added jokingly. "Please try to keep this one intact for my sake, okay?"

***

"So you're saying once we get past the guards, and the electric fence, all we have to worry about is diffusing the bombs." Peggy was going over the plan for breaking into Roxxon, while Chief Sousa practiced removing the atomic material from the bomb without shaking. You were half listening while filling in some paperwork for Howard. You heard Dr. Wilkes say something about decimating the entire city, but jerked back to full attention when Daniel dropped the practice bomb.

"Careful," you chided. "I'd like to live a little longer if you don't mind."

"You just destroyed all of Los Angeles," Dr. Wilkes said, picking up on your joking tone.

"And this is all the intelligence that we have," Peggy said, getting back on subject. "Nothing from the inside?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Stark's men have never been able to gain access," Jarvis said. "We'll be going in blind."

"And unarmed, given the volatile nature of the materials inside," Peggy added.

"And severely out manned," Sousa cut in. "I don't like this."

"Are we sure the SSR isn't an option?" Jarvis asked.

"No," you cut in. "The council has their hands in everything. There's no one we can trust one hundred percent."

Peggy's eyes grew wide. "Actually," she said. "That isn't entirely true."

***

"Rose?" Daniel's voice was incredulous. You, Daniel, and Peggy were standing outside the SSR building and looking into the window. Currently, Rose was faking enjoyment listening to some man play a ridiculous looking instrument.

"She's someone we can trust," Peggy said confidently.

"Peggy this is crazy, we can't take Rose," Daniel protested. "She's, she's-"

"She's passed the same training as the men upstairs and she protects all of you," Peggy countered.

Daniel turned to look at both you and Peggy. "This isn't about training, this is about field experience, and she has none. I can't focus on the mission if I'm worried about protecting Rose. I'm not even that pleased that Y/N is going, but I've seen her punch a man and it's a small comfort."

That's when you decided to offer your two cents. "It's funny, I'm seeing Daniel Sousa, but I'm hearing Jack Thompson. And I can punch you right now if you want."

Peggy cracked at small smile at your remark. "Y/N, you're exactly right. I wonder if we called New York would we get to speak to Chief Sousa?" You both giggled a bit before she went on. "She's smart, she's resourceful, and I trust her with my life."

"I'm just worried she's going to get hurt," Daniel said.

"I don't think we have to worry about that," you remarked, staring through the window. Rose had just taken the man and his instrument and thrown him against the glass. When she noticed you three outside, she waved. You waved back while Peggy looked at Daniel with a smug expression.

***

Once Peggy filled Rose in on what was about to happen, everyone headed to the lab to get some defense technology. Having worked with Howard, you knew not to touch anything you didn't know exactly how to use, so you just peeked around. "I can't believe the chief is letting me come on a mission," Rose said excitedly.

"He knows talent when he sees it," Peggy said.

"How 'bout this?" Daniel cut in, motioning to you to come over and look at something. "Enhanced motion detector. Gives you accurate readings from up to fifty feet away. If anybody tries to sneak up on you, this'll tell us."

"Do you know how it works?" You asked, eyebrows raised.

"I think I could figure it out," Daniel said, flipping the device over.

You were about to respond before the door to the lab opened and a man wearing a lab coat walked in. "What are you doing in here?" he asked.

Peggy turned around and was quick to answer. "I brought you back your memory inhibitor. Thank you so much for letting me use it."

The man still didn't look totally convinced. "How'd it work?" he asked.

Peggy's smile faltered for a split second. "I forget," she laughed, an obviously fake smile on her face.

"I don't like people in my lab," the man said, walking around you all. "I don't like people touching my stuff." He grabbed the motion detector out of Daniel's hands and put it away in a cabinet. "This isn't a candy store you know. Just cause you brought me pie doesn't mean you're entitled to rifle through my work."

Rose stepped out from beside you and walked up to the man. "Did you like my pie?" she asked, flirting with him a little.

You looked at Peggy. "Who's that?" you whispered to her, confused.

"Dr. Samberly," she whispered back. "He's ... something."

"That was you?" Samberly was saying to Rose. "Your pie was in me? I like pie. Pie is good." he said, flustered and lost for words.

"Dr. Samberly," Daniel stopped him from speaking any more. "We have a very important mission ahead of us, we need all the help we can get."

"What he's trying to say Aloysius is," Rose said, grabbing Samberly's arm. "We need your equipment."

Samberly nodded at Rose and smiled. "Very well."

You, Peggy, and Daniel looked at each other and smiled, glad that at least you might have some chance in the building.

"You got any instruction manuals for these things?" Daniel asked, pointing at the cabinet of inventions.

"No!" Samberly practically laughed. "These are mostly just prototypes. Haven't been put through trials yet."

You put your face in your hands and sighed. "Untested inventions that are either work or are incredibly dangerous? Peggy remind me why I hang out with you again?"

Ignoring your comment, Peggy turned to Samberly. "Can you show us how they work?"

"Sure," he responded. Got six hours?"

"I was thinking more of a crash course," Daniel said. You nodded along with him.

"This is ridiculous," Samberly responded. "I'm going with you."

"I don't think that's -" Peggy said, eyes wide.

"So sweet, but -" Rose added.

"No, terrible idea," you and Daniel said in unison.

Samberly turned to you. "Who even are you anyway?"

You stood up a little straighter and stared him right in the face. "Y/N Barnes, head of Howard Stark's public relations office. I know a thing or two about handling ridiculous inventions that may or may not work. And I can guarantee you that the ones in this room right now are child's playthings compared to some I've seen and dealt with."

He backed off a little at your strong tone. "After the war, I had eleven job offers. Eleven! I went with the SSR because I was told I had an opportunity to use my expertise in field operations."

"Who told you that?" Sousa asked with a look of confusion.

"You did, Chief Sousa," Samberly replied plainly. "Don't you remember?" Daniel opened and closed his mouth, clearly lost for words. But Samberly wasn't finished talking. "That hurts me. Right here."

"Listen. I interviewed a lot of prospects-" Daniel started to say.

"But you picked me!" Samberly sure know how to talk. "And I picked you. Because I thought I'd be doing more than tinkering around this lab while other agents went off on missions-"

Daniel was clearly done with all of this. "Fine," he cut Samberly off. "You're on the team. What else you got?"

"Let me go back up my bag of toys," Samberly said, clearly not expecting the chief's answer.

Peggy looked shocked, and pulled you and Daniel aside. "How can you be sure he's not in the council's pocket as well?"

"I'm sure," Daniel said solemnly. "Everybody hates Samberly."

You snorted in response. "After spending barely five minutes with the man, I think I know why."


	16. Atomic Rods and Metal Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 5, “The Atomic Job.”

So far, the mission wasn't going well. Jarvis was locked in the room with the bombs. Dr. Samberly was having trouble attempting to open the door to let Jarvis out, because it was Daniel that was supposed to be removing the volatile materials. Peggy had just run off, leaving Daniel to talk Jarvis through removing the bombs. And you had absolutely no idea what you should do. Quickly making up your mind, you grabbed the nearby fire extinguisher off the wall and ran off to follow Peggy while Daniel started to calm Jarvis down. 

Quietly tiptoeing down the corridors, you checked every corner before whisper-yelling Peggy's name. Peggy's grunts sounded from the next corridor over, so you ran over to see her fighting a man who was wielding a crowbar, and Peggy had a fire extinguisher like you. Not even thinking, you ran up behind up and hit him on the head with the fire extinguisher and he crumpled to the floor. Taking the crowbar from the man and passing it to Peggy, you opened your mouth, about to say something when she put a hand in your direction and motioned for you to listen. Whitney's voice was coming up the corridor. "What do we do now?" you whispered worriedly. 

"We have to keep them away from Jarvis and the rods," she whispered back. "She's here," she said into the radio. "Y/N and I are going to keep her away from you." 

"You got eyes on her?" Sousa's voice came back through the radio. 

"Just get those bombs out of here!" she responded. "Y/N and I can handle her." 

You and Peggy followed Whitney's voice, and rounded a corner to see Whitney and her husband, in the middle of an argument. "This is insane!" Chadwick was saying. "We're going to get caught, or worse, killed!" 

"I need them, Calvin!" Whitney shouted back.

Peggy pointed to a hiding spot behind a column and gave you a pointed look. Quickly, you crouched behind the column and watched as Peggy walked up to Whitney. "You're not getting them," she said forcefully. Not wanting to be seen, you sat down on the ground and just listened to the conversation.

"Oh you," you heard Whitney respond. "You're good." 

"I think there's been a terrible misunder-" Chadwick started to say before Whitney cut him off.

"Shut up Calvin!" Chadwick went quiet. 

"Miss Frost, you've been exposed to a substance that I believe is altering your physiology," Peggy said calmly. 

"Don't talk about something that you don't understand," Whitney bit back. 

"The SSR can help. We can fix you, if you let us." 

"You think you can help her?" Chadwick sounded hopeful. 

"Fix me?" Whitney said, astounded. "Why would I want to be fixed? I've never felt more powerful in my entire life!"

You heard the sounds of a scuffle, and the definite sound of someone getting slapped, before hearing Whitney say, "I thought that would hurt more." 

There was a small silence before Peggy's radio crackled to life. "We got the rods!" Daniel said. 

"You!" Whitney said venomously. "Interfering-" 

"Last chance Miss Frost," Peggy cut her off. 

"Same to you Agent Carter." 

You heard scuffling again, but then heard Peggy whining as if she was in pain. Not daring to look up, you racked your brain for things you could do to help. Nothing. You felt useless. You were about to get the fire extinguisher and try to beat Whitney with with when you heard Peggy grunt and then several sounds at once: metal breaking, a thump, and a larger thump. Heels clicked as someone walked over, and then Whitney said, in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Oh I'm sorry Agent Carter. Not everyone's cut out for Hollywood." 

Then you heard Peggy scream. 

Daniel shouted out her name, but it all had gone silent for you. You heard Chadwick tell Whitney they had to leave, so you didn't risk being discovered. Once they ran off, you emerged from your hiding place and looked over the rail to see Peggy laying on the floor, a rebar right through her middle. Daniel was crouching next to her. "I'll be right down!" you yelled, racing through the facility to get to them. 

Once you got down to her, you jumped right into action. "Where can we take her like this?" you asked Daniel. "We need help. Quickly." 

"I think I know where we can go." 

***

"Okay, this is what I need. Daniel grab some linens from the cupboard. We need to pack the wound. Um, Mr. -" Violet said the minute Peggy was laid on the couch. 

"Edwin Jarvis, Miss, at your service," Jarvis responded to her. 

"Mr. Jarvis I need you to boil some water," she said, pointing. 

"Very good," he said as he walked away. 

"And you Miss-" she said, pointing at you. 

"Y/N Barnes," you said quickly. "What do you need me to do?" 

"Can you keep her calm? The stress will only make it worse, " she said. 

You kneeled down next to Peggy and noticed Daniel hadn't left to get the linens. "Daniel!" you hissed. "I got this. Go!" 

"Right," he said, snapping back into consciousness. "Sorry." 

"Peggy calm down a little, it's going to be alright," you said, placing your hand on her arm. Violet kneeled down next to you and starting to take a look at the wound. "The bleeding appears to be internal. This would really be better if you went to a hospital." 

"No! No," Peggy said. 

"Then deep breaths Peggy," you said to her. 

"This is going to hurt," Violet finished. 

***

The next morning, Jarvis had just gone in to check on Peggy when the phone rang. Thinking it might be Howard, who had gone away to try and figure out how to cure Dr. Wilkes, you picked up. "Stark Residence." 

It was not Howard. "Barnes?" Thompson's voice came through the phone. "I need to talk to Peggy." Guess he finally realized that she wasn't on a plane back to New York. 

But she couldn't speak to him, or even get to the phone right now, so you had to improvise. "She's currently out, but I can give her a message if you would like?" 

"Where is she now?" he practically demanded. "She should be at work! In New York!" 

"I think she is actually planning on taking a vacation here for a little while," you said. "She told me she sent in requests for vacation time a couple days ago." 

"You better not be lying to me Barnes," he said. "I know she's out there working with Sousa, and I need her to come back to New York." 

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Jack, but she has actually stopped to take a break from all this. I think her and Jarvis went to go visit Howard's movie studio and then go to the beach. I'll let her know that you called and she can call you back the next time she's able, okay?" you responded, shutting down the conversation. 

He huffed over the phone. "Fine. Just tell her that she needs to call me as soon as possible, okay?" he said. 

"Of course Thompson I will. Now why don't you go so both of us can get back to work, okay? Because neither of us are on vacation right now, and I don't know about you, but I have actual work to do." 

After hanging up the phone, you made your way back into Peggy's room. Jarvis and Ana were there, and Peggy was slowly hobbling around the bed. "Woah!" you said, stopping her. "Shouldn't you be in bed right now?" 

"I'm going to change and then down to the lab," she said. "Sadly, there's no rest for the weary and wounded until the job is done." 

"No Peggy," you said. "You need the rest. And besides, I told Thompson that you were taking a relaxing vacation, so could you please make part of that statement true and relax?" 

The mention of Thompson stopped her. "You spoke to Jack?" 

"Yeah," you said. "He just called and demanded to speak to you. I told him that you were out and that you were taking an actual vacation in LA for a little bit and would then return to New York. If you want I can handle setting up your vacation days so you can go back to bed," you said, giving her a pointed look. "Oh and he wants you to call him back, but you can do that tomorrow. After you rest more." 

"Thank you for dealing with him, but I still need to get down to the lab. We need to finish this soon, and I refuse to let anything stop me," she said, moving past you. "And I can deal with the vacation requests. If Thompson calls back though, keep up the ruse that I'm living in paradise out here. The last thing we need right now is a surprise visit from Jack at this point in the investigation."


	17. Prison Breaks and Gala Tickets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 6, “Life of the Party.”

There really was no rest for the weary and wounded. You walked into Howard's lab about an hour after talking to Thompson on the phone to find Peggy and Daniel deep in conversation. They stopped talking when you entered the room. You knew Peggy was currently sporting a rebar hole through her abdomen, but somehow she looked perfectly normal in comparison to Sousa, who looked like he hadn't slept since Pearl Harbor. You quickly walked over to them and handed Daniel the cup of coffee you had brought for yourself. "What is this for?" He asked, looking at you questioningly.

"Coffee," you answered matter of factly. "You look like you need it more than I do."

"Are you trying to tell me something?" he said, looking at me.

"Oh come on, we can't fall asleep now," you responded jokingly. "So what's the next step?" you asked Peggy.

"The containment chamber that Dr. Wilkes has designed for himself needs Zero Matter, but right now the only source for it is Whitney Frost herself. We need Zero Matter to keep Dr. Wilkes anchored to this world because he is a vital part in out investigation. Which means we have to get close enough to Whitney to take it from her. Fortunately, the best chance we have at this is at her husband's campaign fundraiser tomorrow night at the MacArthur Grand Hotel. But we need a way to get in without being noticed, and a way to get the sample from Whitney without being noticed."

"Not an easy ticket to get," Daniel said. "We're definitely going to be on some sort of watch list for them now, there's no way we can get in."

"I think I can help with that," you said, eyes lighting up. "Howard tends to donate money randomly for tax write offs, and he donates to almost all political candidates to ensure good favor with whoever wins. I'm almost positive we were sent tickets to Chadwick's fundraiser. Normally Howard always gets three or four tickets, I just have to see how many we have for this event."

"Why does Howard get three or four rather than two?" Daniel asked. "Isn't two tickets like the standard for these things?"

"Yes, but Howard almost always needs three tickets because someone needs to drive the car home if he doesn't return in it," you said. "Depending on the event, either Jarvis or I will go along with Howard and whatever date he has procured for the night, and if we have four tickets, we both go. However, we don't have to use all the tickets we were sent, they never check the guestbooks during these events. The only name that will appear on the list of those in attendance is Howard's, and it won't even say if he brought a date or guests."

"That's perfect," Peggy said, smiling as you left to check how many tickets you had for the evening.

***

Peggy then walked over to a table and picked up a small metal tube. "We can modify this vacuum syringe from the SSR to get the sample of zero matter. We use the crowd to our advantage, we get close enough to puncture her skin, and then we make a hasty exit without any fuss," she said.

"You're going to do this?" Daniel asked Peggy.

"Yes."

"You, who can barely walk? You, who Whitney's tried to kill within the past 48 hours? You, who Whitney will see coming a mile away! Same as Jarvis, by the way," Daniel said, looking at Peggy as if she had three heads.

"Well, someone else then," Peggy conceded.

"Who? Me? I'm not gonna fly as Jarvis' date."

"Rose, then."

"She's on a flight home," Daniel said. "Her mother's sick."

Peggy was grasping at straws. "Well, m-maybe-"

Daniel cut her off. "We can't trust anybody at the SSR. That's become painfully clear. And I'm not about to send a civilian into the jaws of that lion without sufficient training." He paused and stared off into space for a second. "No, what you need is a highly skilled, unknown face who can blend in with the glamour and throw down in the gutter. I don't know anybody besides you who can pull that off."

Peggy was silent for a little bit, then a look of knowing spread across her face. "I have a terrible idea."

You opened the lab door, tickets for the fundraiser in hand, and looked at Daniel, who looked confused, and Peggy, who looked enlightened. "What did I miss?"

"Yeah Peggy," Daniel said. "I'm obviously missing something here."

"You said we need a person who is highly trained to be able to get the sample from Whitney but also someone that will blend in with the crowd, an unknown face. I would trust Y/N to get the sample, but we've been seen in public together, and since she broke into Roxxon with us, she could be recognized. The only other person who I know fits that description is currently sitting in a cell in New York, and her name is Dottie Underwood," Peggy said.

"No. Absolutely not," Daniel said. "There's no way we can control Underwood. She's the definition of manipulative. You remember what she did last time, there's no way she would 'help' with the investigation without double crossing us at the last moment and ruining all out work. And besides, like you said, she's locked up in New York."

Although you didn't trust Dottie Underwood, you knew there was no way of stopping Peggy from getting what she wanted. "When do you want to leave? I can have Howard's plane at the airfield for you whenever you want."

***

When you saw the door of Howard's private jet open and Daniel stepped out without Dottie, you were a little confused. "Where's Peggy? And Underwood?"

"Still on the plane, she'll be making her way down in a few moments," he said cryptically.

Then, the door on the other side of the plane opened and the plane ramp touched down. After a few moments, Peggy emerged, pushing a wheelchair down the ramp that contained a passed out Dottie Underwood. "I don't understand," you said. "Did you have to kill her?"

"No, it's really just a precaution," Peggy answered. "Just making my life a little easier."

Once you all were back at Howard's, Dottie was transferred to a chair and her wrists tied (as another precaution). "Alright," Daniel asked. "What's the plan?"

"We have three tickets the Chadwick's fundraiser tonight, courtesy of Howard's ridiculous spending. Y/N, Jarvis, and Dottie will go to the gala, with Jarvis and Y/N acting as buffers and making sure no one knows why Dottie is there," Peggy said.

"The main goal is to make Dottie as invisible as possible," you continued. "I sometimes attend these events with Jarvis to see some of the big names in Hollywood, politics, or business, so it wouldn't be odd to see Jarvis and I at an event like this without Howard. But if needed, I can 'disappear' off to go network, so people who see Jarvis and Dottie together would assume nothing is wrong."

Daniel nodded as Peggy turned to you. "We're almost done with communication devices for Jarvis, you, and Dottie, but you need to go get ready. And can you send Ana in here? We have to see what we can pull together for Dottie to wear."

***

After you finished getting ready, you met Jarvis outside of your room, where he handed you a small box. "This is your communication device for when we're inside the fundraiser. It connects to both Miss Carter and Chief Sousa, who will be in a van outside, and to Miss Underwood's and my own devices," he said, pulling out his communication device to show you, a pair of glasses. "Shall we go see Miss Carter?" he asked, and you nodded.

Peggy was explaining the situation to Dottie when you both walked in. "Oh good, she's awake," Jarvis said, disdain evident on his face. "Miss Underwood."

"Jeeves," she greeted, before turning her attention to you. "Other one."

You gave her a tight lipped smile, and watched as Jarvis made his way over to talk to Peggy. "I was just wondering what type of firearm I'd be carrying this evening," he said.

"Ah, that would be no type," Peggy answered.

"You can't be serious."

You only smirked at Jarvis' surprised expression as Peggy answered. "If I give you a gun, she's only going to take it from you."

"I take deep offense to that remark. And I don't see how you'll feel safe sending Y/N and I out with her unarmed," he said, gesturing to Dottie, who was just watching them quietly.

"Where's your wristwatch?" Peggy asked him, seemingly out of the blue.

"It's a wristwatch, Miss Carter," Jarvis began. "It's on my wri- oh. I, uh..." he said, realizing he was not wearing his watch, before quickly turning around to give Dottie a dirty look.

She opened her palm to reveal the missing wristwatch. "Sorry," she said, void of emotion.

"Fine," Jarvis conceded. "A knife, then."

"Or a cane, with a sword hidden inside," you added jokingly.

"Oh don't give him any ideas Y/N."


	18. Ballroom Espionage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 6, "Life of the Party."

The party was in full swing when you, Jarvis, and Dottie walked in. You lightly elbowed Jarvis in the ribs as he just stood there, Dottie next to him. "You two go dance," you told them lowly. "I'm going to go chat with some people I recognize from working with Howard, but you're going to stick out like a sore thumb if you continue to stand there staring at nothing."

Before going over to greet some of Howard's contacts, you stopped to get yourself a flute of champagne, and waited for Peggy and Daniel to check in and make sure that your communication device was working. Disguised as a lovely pair of diamond earrings, they allowed you to communicate back and forth with Peggy and Daniel in a van outside, and allowed them to both know what was going on during the event, and for them to offer advice or help if needed.

Daniel's voice sounded in your ear. "Barnes, can you hear me?"

"Yes," you said, hiding behind your champagne flute so no one saw you talking to yourself. "Everything looks normal right now."

"Alright, just let us know if anything seems off," Daniel said. "Jarvis is going to keep Underwood out of trouble, so you just need to be the bird's eye view, make sure that no one suspects anything."

A few moments after that conversation, Jarvis and Dottie made their way over to you. Jarvis looked visibly distressed, but Dottie showed no sign of any emotion. "Miss Barnes, we have a slight problem," he said, whispering. "It appears that Chief Thompson is also attending this event."

Your eyes went wide as Peggy's voice was heard through your communication device. "Thompson? Our Jack Thompson?" she said in disbelief.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Daniel asked.

"He appears to be rubbing elbows with Miss Frost and Mr. Chadwick," Jarvis answered.

"Want me to kill him?" Dottie asked, not bothered by the situation.

"DO NOT KILL HIM!" both Peggy and Daniel shouted into the microphone, and you stifled a giggle.

"Come on," Dottie said. "It'll be quick."

"Miss Carter I think we must abort this mission," Jarvis said. "Abort, Abort!" he whispered into his glasses.

"Mr. Jarvis, the clock is ticking for Dr. Wilkes. This is our only real, viable opportunity to acquire the sample from Whitney. You must find a way to complete your objective without being spotted by Thompson. Can you do that?" Peggy's voice came through.

"Yes," Jarvis' voice still sounded shaky. "Yes I can."

You had an idea. "Peggy, what if I distracted Thompson? I have a valid reason to be in attendance and some of Howard's contacts here are used to seeing me at these events with Jarvis and without Howard, so if I could provide some sort of a buffer, all we really need is to make sure that no one sees Dottie."

There was a small silence and Jarvis nodded at you. Then Peggy's voice came back through the device and said. "I'd definitely prefer if Jack didn't know any of us were there at all, even you Y/N, but if we absolutely have to distract him, that is the best way to go."

"Let's hope for the best then," you said.

Jarvis then straightened his glasses on his face and turned towards Dottie. "All right Miss Underwood-" but fell silent when he realized that she was no longer standing next to him. "Oh dear."

You laughed silently as he ran off to go find her, and went off to mingle and network with some of Howard's associates. This may be a covert mission, but that didn't mean you couldn't get some work done while you were here.

***

Not even 5 seconds after you finished talking to one of Howard's contacts, your communication device came to life again. "Y/N, we need to move quickly from here. Go find Jarvis and distract Thompson while Dottie retrieves the sample," Daniel said.

You met up with Jarvis right as Dottie headed off to follow Whitney Frost into the ladies' room. Jarvis grabbed a flute of champagne off a passing waiter's tray and downed it before offering you his elbow. You gracefully took it as you headed over to where Thompson was standing. Jack was talking, (maybe flirting) with a blonde girl over by the bar, but that did not deter Jarvis from getting right in the middle of them and saying, "Chief Thompson. It is you."

Jack turned around and saw you standing there next to him, and you offered your best fake smile. "Jarvis? Barnes?" he said, looking confused. "What are you doing here? I didn't know this was a butler-friendly affair."

That's where you cut into the conversation. "Actually, the reason we're here is for me. Mr. Stark is a contributor to Calvin Chadwick's campaign for senate, and let me be honest with you, it is much easier to get Mr. Stark's business associates to respond and set up collaborations when I can talk to them in person and they are slightly tipsy. I'm the one who dragged Mr. Jarvis here tonight."

Thompson didn't look convinced. "Funny, Jarvis I don't remember you wearing glasses."

Jarvis thought quickly. "Oh, I've developed a slight astigmatism in one eye. I think they make me look rather refined."

"His wife loves them," you supplied.

"That as well," Jarvis said, smiling at you. "Miss Barnes, I have to go to the restroom, but I will be back in a jiffy," Jarvis said, giving you a look like 'play along!' "Chief Thompson, it was lovely to see you. Oh! Why don't you two dance for a bit while I'm off?" Jarvis suggested. "You did say you were going to actually dance this time," he said, turning to you.

You gave Jarvis a look of hatred, but he smiled and walked away, so you turned back to Jack. "I'm sorry about him, he's-"

But Jack cut you off. "It's not a bad idea," he said, offering you his hand. "May I have this dance?"

You nodded and let him lead you out to the dance floor, thinking one thing the whole time: that you were going to kill Jarvis the minute you got home from this.

***

"So, where's Carter?" Jack said as he spun you across the dance floor.

"When we left for this, she was laying next to Howard's swimming pool, reading a rather ridiculous pulp novel," you said.

"Now I know Carter, and I also know she would never do that," he responded, still swaying you back and forth.

"Oh the novel was not something she picked out herself, that's all Jarvis' wife. After a glimpse of Peggy's life and work in the SSR, Ana promptly declared that she worked too much and has forced Peggy to basically shut out all work whatsoever."

"Really? And Carter went along with it?"

"Not exactly willingly," you admitted. "But you don't cross Ana, or there will be hell to pay," you laughed.

"I heard from Hugh Jones that she broke into Roxxon a few days ago and stole some things," Jack said lowly. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

You shook your head. "No, I was in Seattle on business for Howard for about a week. I just got back a couple days ago, super early in the morning. When I spoke to you on the phone, I had just barely stepped foot in the house."

"So you don't know anything about what Sousa and Carter were doing?" he pressed on as he spun you again.

"Not really," playing dumb was working so for, and you just hoped that you were saying the right things. Hopefully, Peggy and Daniel had the rest of the mission under control. "After you went back to New York, I wasn't called back to work on the case again, which is good because Howard has been driving me crazy as of late with his shenanigans," you said.

"Well there's at least some good in that statement," Jack said, offering you what looked like a genuine smile. "It's like you told me at the restaurant, everything is going back to normal."

You smiled back, despite the fact that your brain very well knew that nothing was normal at this point. "Yeah," you chose to say instead. "I guess it is."

There were a few more minutes of comfortable silence while you two danced until Hugh Jones made an announcement on behalf of Calvin Chadwick that the fundraiser was coming to a close. You hadn't heard anything from Peggy or Daniel, so you figured you would just stop by the van and wait for the others if they weren't there already. You turned to go, when you heard Jack call your name and turned around. "It was nice dancing with you," he said. "But can you please tell Peggy to come back to New York soon, I can't keep flying over here all the time."

You nodded and smiled. "I will. I'll see you around Thompson," you said.

"Yeah, see you around."

***

When you arrived at the van, you saw Peggy, Daniel, and Jarvis all standing around a dead body. "Where's Dottie?" was the first question you asked and "Why do we have a dead body?" soon followed.

"Currently missing," Peggy said. "And the dead gentleman knocked out our communications and location technology. Why are you here?"

"The fundraiser is over," you said. "Hugh Jones made an announcement for Chadwick and thanked us all for coming."

"That's odd," Jarvis said. "Why wouldn't Chadwick do it himself?"

"We don't have time to discuss it here," Daniel said. "We have to get back to Stark's so that we don't blow our cover."

Once you were all a safe distance away from the venue, Peggy turned to you. "You did great with distracting Thompson, by the way."

"Thank you, I was so scared the whole time," you said. "But while we're on that subject I'm very angry with a certain SOMEONE who suggested that we dance together," you said, giving Jarvis a dirty look as he was driving.

"It was what needed to be done Miss Barnes," he responded. "And besides, you two looked nice dancing together."

"Jarvis if you weren't driving us home right now I'd kill you."

***

Meanwhile, Jack was waiting inside the ballroom of the venue while Hugh Jones and Vernon Masters talked among themselves about Whitney Frost. When Hugh left, Vernon walked over to Jack. "Nice work son."

"Thank you Vernon."

"Yeah. Really a great job of cleaning up the mess you made."

Jack looked shocked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Vernon turned to him. "This is your girl Carter. This whole fiasco's got her fingerprints all over it."

"I think you got this mixed up. That was Underwood that we-" Jack started to say.

"Underwood was sprung with the help of a female psychiatrist!" Vernon cut him off. "Who else besides Carter would be so reckless as to let that nut case loose on this party? You said yourself that you saw Stark's butler here, acting fishy. Well, we all know that those two are thick as thieves. And who was that girl that was with Stark's butler? The one you were dancing with?"

"She works for Stark, but has no significance at all with the investigation," Jack said. "Her and I are friendly."

"Do I have to question your loyalty Jack?" Vernon said. "She was probably just here to-"

"She was here tonight to do her job, so stop bringing her into this," Jack cut in, giving Vernon a look. "But that doesn't matter so let's get back to your point. What you're saying about Carter, it doesn't make sense. If it is Carter, what's the angle? What's she trying to accomplish?"

"It doesn't matter," Vernon said. "You're going to have to take her out."

"I'm not going to kill Peggy Carter."

"Who said kill? That would be wrong, both morally and strategically. Killing makes her a martyr, shines more of a light on her. I need you to destroy the very idea of her Discredit, disgrace, and subdue Agent Carter so that all this misguided work that she's done becomes unquestionably invalid. It's the only way Jack," Vernon said as he turned around and left the room, leaving Jack to wonder what just happened.


	19. Pesky Love Trianges

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 7, "Monsters."

You were in the middle of brewing a pot of coffee the next morning when you heard the door open and Peggy walked into the kitchen. "Coffee?" You asked as she sat down at the table.

"Sure," she said. You could tell that her mind was racing constantly, but also that her troubles didn't just revolve around this case.

After pouring Peggy the promised cup and one for yourself, you sat down at the table across from her. "What's troubling you?" you asked quietly.

"Nothing," she said at first. "It's just this case is a lot to handle."

"Peggy," you said, looking at her. "We both know that there is something else going on other than the case. I'm more observant than you give me credit for. Now does this have anything to do with Chief Sousa?"

She looked shocked. "How- How did you know something was off?"

You smiled at her. "Peggy, it has been obvious to me since last year in New York that the man liked you, something that was never any secret in the SSR by the way. Also, when you fell through the rebar, I thought Daniel was going to combust from worry, and I still think he's worried about you way more than he should be. Then, coupled with the fact that he's no longer engaged to Violet, and you look like you hold the weight of the world on your shoulders, I figured something might have happened."

"How did you know that Violet called off the engagement?" she asked. "Daniel didn't tell anyone when it happened."

"You guys must have hit my communication button by accident at the fundraiser. You were talking to Jarvis while I was dancing with Jack, and I heard snippets of your conversation. I appreciate being kept in the loop, but trying to listen to your conversation for any directions while also trying to convince Jack that you were currently at home napping isn't easily done at the same time," you said, and she smiled at you.

"Sorry about that," she said. "That whole thing took me by surprise."

"So what happened between you and Daniel?"

"I don't really know for sure," she admitted. "I think we were going to kiss, and then a dead man fell on the roof of the van, which is an occupational hazard for us I suppose."

You pressed her for more information. "And he didn't say anything after?"

"Well at the time we were more concerned with the dead man who had caved in our roof, but today after we watched Whitney's statement to the press he said that him and I should 'talk,'" she told you. "But I really don't know what to say about it."

"If you want some advice from someone who has had almost no experience in the romance area, listen to me: tell him the truth," you said, looking her in the eyes. "If you like him in that way, then you get to skip this stage of dancing around each other, and if you don't, it makes it a whole lot easier for both of you to get on with your lives."

"Thanks Y/N" she said. "And you really should give yourself more credit, you have had 'experience in the romance area' as you put it. I never knew you while Steve and Bucky were still alive, but from what Steve said, you were Bucky's whole world."

You gave Peggy a tight smile and nodded. "Yeah but I never had that stage of dancing around Bucky that you and Sousa are going through right now, and don't you dare deny it," you said as she opened her mouth to respond. "My situation was different. Bucky had a wedding to go to, and he'd been lying to his family that he had a steady girlfriend when he didn't, and to cover his ass, he asked me to go with him. First dates don't normally consist of your boyfriend's grandparents fawning over you, and asking you when you guys were going to get hitched."

"Steve never told me that bit of the story," Peggy laughed. "You really don't do anything by the book do you?" she asked.

You smiled back at her. "Never. So you see why I can't be considered an expert?" you asked.

"Yeah, yeah I get it," she said. "But enough about me and Daniel, what about you and Jack? You two were pretty cozy dancing together."

You gave her a dirty look and shook your head. "Absolutely not. The reason we were dancing in the first place is all Jarvis' fault and you were listening, so you know it."

"I know it was Jarvis' initial suggestion, and that you tried to go back on it, but it was also Jack who agreed with Jarvis and invited you to dance, and Jack who said that he had a nice time dancing with you." Peggy smiled like she knew something the rest of the world didn't. "You may think that Jack Thompson hates you Y/N, but I would bet a considerable amount of money on the fact that his feelings towards you are actually the opposite."

"Are you taking any pain medications for the hole in your stomach, Peggy?" you asked in disbelief. "Because I think they're messing with your head. There is no way that Jack likes me like that. Tell me this Peggy, what guy, when asked about how he met his crush, says 'oh the first time I met her I accused her of treason and she slapped me across the face in anger?'"

"Well maybe Jack doesn't do anything by the book either Y/N."

"Peggy I love you, but please shut up."

***

You followed Peggy into Howard's lab, where Ana and Dr. Wilkes were working on the containment chamber, and Jarvis was working on repairing some of the broken equipment from the night of the fundraiser. Peggy spoke to Ana and Dr. Wilkes first, while you went over to try and help Mr. Jarvis. "Have you finished?" Peggy asked Ana.

"Nearly," Ana responded. "We're running out of time."

Peggy then turned to Dr. Wilkes in particular. "How are you?"

"You want an honest answer?"

"At this moment, no not particularly," she said.

He looked at her sadly. "I'm doing great."

A few moments after that, the transponder sparked and you and Jarvis jumped back. "I believe I've done it!" Jarvis said, taking off his goggles. "The transponder is repaired!" he said, turning the machine on and off. "Behold."

"Your hidden talents know no bounds, Mr. Jarvis," Peggy said, smiling.

"Oh, one doesn't spend years in the company of Howard Stark without picking up a thing or two about electrical engineering," he said, smiling back.

"Lucky you didn't pick up the clap," you said quietly, only because Howard wasn't there to yell at you for that remark.

"Anything come through on it?" Peggy asked.

"No signal from Miss Underwood's necklace. It could've been deactivated or destroyed," Jarvis said, taking a closer look at the readings.

"Or she could be out of range," you offered.

Peggy nodded at your suggestion. "Perhaps we could expand the signal. Can you get us to a higher elevation?" she asked Jarvis.

Jarvis nodded. "I believe Mr. Stark has a dirigible in the pool house."

"Why?" Jason cut into the conversation, causing you, Peggy, and Jarvis to turn and look at him. "She's a Russian spy, a murderer. Why mount a rescue for someone who'd kill you the moment she was able?" he said.

"I agree, Dottie is despicable, but she was acting under my orders," Peggy said, while you and Jarvis stood shocked at his outburst.

"So this is about saving yourself," Dr. Wilkes said angrily.

"Dottie is my responsibility. I wouldn't abandon her or anyone else to the likes of Whitney Frost."

"Don't abandon her," Jason pressed. "The kill switch on that necklace is attached to a different circuit. Activate it and be done with her."

"Jason," Peggy said while walking towards him. "I understand you are under considerable-"

"You understand nothing! This isn't simply about my death. I am facing much worse than that," Jason interrupted, practically yelling at Peggy.

That's when you decided to step in. "Dr. Wilkes," you said, voice sharper than a dagger. He turned towards you in shock. "As much as we all would like to live in a perfect world, that is very much not the one we live in. We will help you regain your corporeal form, but you need to understand that this case, what we are facing, is bigger than all of us, even you. If we let Whitney Frost win, I can't imagine what is going to happen. We need Dottie Underwood back so that Whitney does not take hold of her. So if you would kindly get off your high horse and help us, maybe this would go a little faster for you." And you turned around and left the room, leaving everyone shocked behind you.

"I'm sorry," Jason immediately apologized to Peggy. "I'm not thinking straight. I'm sorry."

"Jason-" Peggy said.

Dr. Wilkes didn't respond to Peggy, only saying "Ana, we should get back to work."

***

You only returned to the lab because Peggy asked you to, she said that Dr. Wilkes' containment chamber was finished and she wanted your help just in case something went wrong. You, Ana, Peggy, and Jarvis were all gathered around the containment chamber as Dr. Wilkes stepped inside. "Are you ready?" Peggy asked him.

"No," he responded, nodding his head once at her.

"Splendid," she said as she stepped back to stand next to you. Jarvis stepped up and pulled the lever on the containment chamber as you all watched in silence. the lights glowed blue and Peggy stepped back towards Dr. Wilkes and put the zero matter in his body. He doubled over as everyone watched in shock, waiting for something else to happen.

Soon, Dr. Wilkes was able to grab his own hand. "It worked," he said in awe. "It worked!"

"Wonderful!" Jarvis exclaimed.

"Congratulations, Doctor," Peggy said, stepping forward and shaking his hand. All at once, Jason leaned forward and kissed Peggy right on the mouth, for what could be called a bit of a long time. Ana's mouth dropped open in shock, and your mind only started racing. Your previous conversation with Peggy about love had only involved Chief Sousa, and she wasn't even sure what to do then. How was she going to figure out what she wants with two men after her, both who are head over heels in love with her?


	20. Changing Tides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot with season 2, episode 7, "Monsters," and plot and dialogue with season 2, episode 8, "The Edge of Mystery."

You had never gotten a chance to talk to Peggy about the kiss she shared with Dr. Wilkes, as she was so wrapped up in the search for Dottie, which you completely understood. But you were definitely not expecting the troubles the next few days would bring. You had gone to bed before Peggy and Jarvis went out to go rescue Dottie, and awoke to hear a loud gunshot and a car drive off. Not bothering to put a robe on over your pajamas, you raced downstairs and out the door to see Peggy and Jarvis pull up, and Ana sprawled out on the pavement. Jarvis immediately jumped out and ran over to Ana, whereas Peggy turned to you. "Do you know what happened?" she asked, taking in your disheveled state, of pajamas and no robe or coat, hair slightly mussed from laying down.

"No," you said, panting. "The sound of a gunshot woke me up."

Peggy nodded and started to walk over to Jarvis. "We need to take her to the hospital immediately, get her into the car!" As he picked up his wife and headed towards the car, she turned back to you. "Stay here. We'll call if we need anything. But just guard the house for now."

You nodded tearfully as they drove off to rush Ana to the hospital. Not knowing what to do, you just paced through the front rooms and waited for the phone to ring.

When it finally did ring, you sprinted towards it. "Stark residence," you said, trying not to sound nervous or out of breath.

"Y/N," Sousa's voice came through the phone. "It's Daniel. Are Peggy and Jarvis back yet?"

"They did come back for a little while," you said. "But Whitney and her people broke in here. They shot Ana Jarvis, and Peggy and Mr. Jarvis rushed her to the hospital. I don't even know if they were able to rescue Dottie."

"Oh my god," Daniel said. "What happened?"

"I don't even know," you admitted. "I was asleep and suddenly I heard a gunshot and a car squeal off, so I ran downstairs and out the door just as Peggy was arriving. They had shot Ana, and Peggy and Jarvis then left to go to the hospital. Peggy told me to wait here and that she would call if she needed anything."

"Well, it hasn't been that great of a night for me either," Daniel said. "I had just gotten off the phone with Ana, apparently before Whitney broke in, and she had said that Peggy of and Jarvis weren't back yet. When I hung up the phone, two guys had broken into my house and roughed me up real good. It took maybe a good half hour for me to even muster the strength to get off the ground and pick up the phone to dial here."

You were shocked. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," he said. "I had wanted to tell Peggy about it, but it seems that you guys have much bigger problems on your hands than I do. I'll talk to her about it the next time I see her, okay?"

"Alright," you agreed. "But call here if you need anything else, okay?" you said.

"I will," he promised. "And let me know if there's anything I can do to help with Ana, or just anything."

"Of course Daniel. Now go clean up and get rest," you said. "Y/N's orders."

"Yes mother," Daniel joked before hanging up the phone, and you were back to waiting for Peggy to call.

***

No call ever came, but the next morning there was a knock on the door. You had dozed off sitting at the table, but you jumped and looked through the peephole to see Chief Sousa. "What are you doing here?" you asked as you opened the door and let him in.

"Bad night turned into an even worse morning, if you can believe that," he said as you shut the door. "I get into work this morning, and Vernon Masters has taken over the SSR. Told me to take a leave of absence until I was 'back on my feet," Daniel said, sitting down on the sofa. "I would bet my good leg that Vernon set this whole thing up to take over the SSR office."

"I don't doubt that for one second," you said. "What do we do now?"

"I don't think there's anything we can do now except wait for Peggy to come back and decide how we're going to move forward," he said sadly. "We have to be prepared for anything though, because there's no way we can predict what's going to happen next. Ever since the fundraiser, I feel like I've been running in circles chasing something that just keeps getting farther away."

"You're right," you agreed, sitting on the armchair across from the sofa. "We have to look at the fundraiser as some kind of turning point, even though we don't know what exactly happened to Whitney and Chadwick that night."

"You know what's still bugging me?" Daniel asked, leaning towards you a little. "Why Thompson was even at the fundraiser when he was supposed to be on the opposite coast. He was back in New York, so why would he come back?"

You groaned at the mention of Thompson's name. "Oh my lord why won't he leave me alone?" you said, while Daniel looked confused at your outburst. "First you start teasing me about him when he first showed up in LA, then I have to distract him at the fundraiser, now Peggy's practically setting a date for our wedding despite the fact that I am certain that man hates me, and now you're about to start the teasing again."

Daniel laughed at your mention of Jack. "Firstly, I want you to know that I am sorry for whatever Peggy has said to you. Although I don't think Thompson hates you, I also don't think he's taking you to meet his parents and grandmother, who he calls Gam-Gam by the way."

"Thank you for agreeing with-," you started to say, but then stopped mid sentence. "Wait. He calls his grandmother Gam-Gam?"

"Yeah, I'm not kidding."

"One: I am absolutely using this against him the next time he says he doesn't have emotions. Two: how do you know what he calls his grandmother? Is this what you guys talk about when the office goes out for drinks?" you asked, laughing.

"Last year, on the Stark case, when we went to arrest Peggy at the hotel she was at, the girl next door to her, who Peggy was good friends with, was tasked with distracting Thompson and I while Peggy snuck out of the building. She was a struggling actress, so she burst into tears after telling us a lie that Peggy had gone to see her sick grandmother, and started crying against Thompson's arm. It was like he'd never seen a woman cry before. She asked him what he called his grandmother, and that's how I know," Daniel laughed, recounting the story.

"I love that, and I also have an insight into his life now," you said, still laughing. "Thank you for making my day a little better with that story."

You two continued to chat until you heard a car pull into the driveway. Walking out the front door, you saw Peggy get out of the car. "Is everything alright?" you asked.

"I don't know for sure about Ana," she said. "But Whitney Frost has Jason."

Your eyes went wide. "I didn't even think about checking for him, I was so wrapped up in what happened to Ana," you said.

Peggy opened her mouth to respond but then noticed the bandaging over Daniel's eye. "What did you get into?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh Vernon Masters isn't above ordering an old-fashioned beatdown," Daniel said. "He's looking for the uranium rods for Whitney Frost."

Peggy was silent for a few moments. "Well, if she wants them so badly let's get them to her."

Daniel's mouth dropped open in shock, along with yours. "You're willing to give up the uranium rods for Jason?"

Peggy gave you two a look. "I need Whitney to think I am. The question is, how do I reach her?"

Peggy started to walk inside, with you and Daniel following her. "Maybe Joseph Manfredi. His soldiers were helping out at the Roxxon factory," Daniel offered.

"But aren't they just men for hire?" Peggy asked.

"No, they're more than that," Daniel said, as Peggy led you both to her room. "Wait," he said. "Where are you going?"

"I need to change," Peggy said matter of factly. "Well really I need a hot bath, but um-"

Daniel looked shocked, and was silent. Peggy motioned for him to turn around and he did. You took a seat on the chair in her room. "You were saying, Joseph Manfredi, Whitney Frost?" you asked to put the conversation back on track.

"Uh yeah," Daniel said "They were an item."

"Movie star Whitney Frost and a mobster?" Peggy was floored at this news.

"Remember the figueroa street slaughter?" Daniel asked.

"Six criminals gunned down during a card game," Peggy supplied.

"Tabloids say that happened the same day Whitney dumped Manfredi for Calvin Chadwick," you added.

"So he's a maniac?" Peggy asked.

Daniel didn't answer right away. "He's a man in love," he said quietly.

"Either way, he's probably your best shot at communicating with Whitney," you said.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Peggy asked.


	21. Ignorant Visits, Useless Warnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 8, "The Edge of Mystery."

The bell jingled as you walked into the restaurant, hoping to find Joseph Manfredi. A group of men were sitting at a table playing cards, but other than that, the restaurant was empty. "Looks like we got company," one of the men at the table said when he saw you, Peggy, and Daniel, and he walked over to block your way any further into the restaurant.

"We're looking for some spaghetti," Daniel said.

"We only serve steak," the man said, squaring his shoulders.

"I have a message for your chef," Peggy said, looking over the man's shoulder. You could see Manfredi in the kitchen through the glass panel in the door, stirring something on the stove.

"Sorry," the man said to her. "We're closed."

That was the last straw for Peggy. She punched the man in the stomach and started the fight. The other men went towards you and Daniel, and you both started to wrestle with them. Daniel was using his crutch to hit the men, whereas your tactic was to use your small heels to your advantage, kicking two of the men in the stomach so hard they collapsed. Soon, there was only one man left, and you and Peggy had him against the kitchen door. After a swift kick and an elbow from you, Peggy punched him hard enough to knock him against the door of the kitchen, catching Manfredi's attention. The three of you stood there, staring at him for a few moments.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?" Daniel asked.

"I had this scrawny childhood friend who wouldn't stop getting into fights he couldn't win, so I would have to help break some of them up," you said, panting slightly. "Learned all the back alley Brooklyn fight tricks."

Peggy smirked at your response.

***

You, Daniel, and Peggy were led into the kitchen and sat at a small table. Manfredi sat down across from you and Daniel on the longer side of the table. Peggy got right to the point. "Whitney Frost was employing your muscle at a Roxxon facility we raided."

"Look, I wish I could help you, but how am I to know who my associates associate with?" Manfredi said, shrugging his shoulders. At that moment, Manfredi's grandmother? (you presumed) walked over to the table and sat across from Peggy, but set down two plates of spaghetti, one for Manfredi, and surprisingly, one for Daniel. He gave you a confused look and you just shrugged back. "Look at that," Manfredi said. "She likes you."

Peggy raised her eyebrows and her hand as if to say 'what about me?' while you just smiled. "She thinks you two are the devil," Manfredi said, starting to eat his pasta.

Pointing her fingers at you and Peggy, Manfredi's grandmother said something in Italian before spitting on the ground to her left while Manfredi laughed.

Peggy wasn't deterred by this. "Mr. Manfredi, we know you have a relationship with Whitney Frost," she said, getting back on track.

"Yeah, everybody in town knows that," Manfredi responded. "Everybody also knows that she dumped me for a crooked politician."

"All we need you to do is get a message to her," Daniel cut in, taking a break from his plate of spaghetti.

Manfredi's grandmother started to speak in Italian again, praying for something. "Alright look what you're doing," Manfredi said, pointing at his grandmother. "Okay that's it. Stop. Stop eating," he said to Daniel. "You three have to go. She's got a weak heart."

"She seems rather robust to me," Peggy said, all the fake kindness leaving her voice.

"You know little Tommy Fontana's getting out next week?" Daniel asked, and you saw what he was doing immediately.

"Oh, yeah, sure, I know. I'm in charge of baking him a welcome-home cake," Manfredi laughed.

"Be a shame if Tommy found out you were the one who turned state's evidence against him," Daniel said casually.

A scowl spread across Manfredi's face. "That's a lie."

"Tommy doesn't know that," you said.

Suddenly, Manfredi's grandmother was out of her seat and was brandishing a rather large knife at Daniel. Manfredi grabbed her from behind and managed to get the knife out of her hands. "Give us a moment please," he said, and she gave you all one last glare before leaving. Manfredi then sat down again at the table and turned to Peggy. "What message would you like me to deliver to Miss Frost?" he asked, fake kindness oozing from his voice.

After explaining the deal that Peggy was going to make to Whitney, the uranium rods in exchange for Dr. Wilkes, you all left the restaurant. "Well," you said. "That was eventful, wasn't it?"

Peggy smiled. "All in a day's work Y/N. Was the spaghetti good?" she asked Daniel as you all got into the car.

"It was good until Manfredi's grandmother was trying to stab me," he said.

"I guess that's the price for good Italian food around here then," you laughed.

"I don't know if it's a price I'm willing to pay," Daniel responded.

***

The next time you stepped into the lab, Dr. Samberly was there, and Peggy was testing out two rods of fake uranium to see if they read like the real thing. "Oh, Y/N here you are," Peggy said, calling you over. "I was just explaining plan for the exchange."

"Wonderful," you said. "What do you need from me?"

"You and Daniel will be providing cover, anything that we need, Dr. Samberly will be driving the truck, and I'll handle the exchange with Whitney Frost," Peggy said. Turning back to Dr. Samberly, she said. "We need to get Dr. Wilkes' containment unit to the truck. You can take it apart and put it back together?"

He made a face. "Uh, I hate that you even asked me that question," he said, while you rolled your eyes and looked at Daniel, who looked just as pleased as you were that he would be attending this at all.

"I will assume that's a yes," Peggy said, giving you and Daniel a look that said 'don't you dare say anything else about this!' You two obliged and held your tongues. "Alright, let's get to it," Peggy said optimistically.

"Get to what?"

You all turned around to see Mr. Jarvis entering the lab, looking like he hasn't slept in days.

"What are you doing her?" Peggy asked. "Where's Ana?"

"She's still the hospital until she regains her strength. I came to get her cashmere throw. What are you doing?" Jarvis asked, looking around the room.

"We're going to get Wilkes, then we're going to get Whitney," Peggy said.

"How?" he asked.

"You don't have to worry about it," Peggy responded kindly. "You can go back to your wife knowing full well that I will make this right."

"How?" Jarvis asked, not giving up.

Peggy pulled Mr. Jarvis into another room, you following. "Mr. Jarvis, I understand that you have a great deal invested into the outcome of this mission," she said quietly.

"Indeed," Jarvis said, face blank. "Whitney Frost shot my wife. I'm coming with you."

"No, you're going back to the hospital," Peggy said.

"I want her to pay for what she did to us," he practically spat.

"And she will," you assured him.

"Chief Sousa and I will make sure of it," Peggy said.

"And I will be there to see it," Jarvis pressed.

Before you or Peggy could respond, a clicking noise sounded throughout the house. "What's that noise?" Peggy asked.

You finally recognized it and stepped into the sitting room. "That's Mr. Stark's telex," you said.

Jarvis lifted the shade on the machine and you saw paper feeding out the slot. He picked them up and you and Peggy leaned in to get a closer look at what the pages said. "Do you recognize this code?" he asked.

You and Peggy shook your heads. "Let's bring it downstairs," you suggested. "Maybe one of the others will recognize it."

***

"That's not code," Samberly said, pouring over the pieces of paper. "These are design specifications. Howard Stark wants me to build a machine."

"You?" Daniel asked.

"It says that?" you said at the same time.

"Well, no but you see someone else here who can?" Samberly responded.

"What does the machine do?" Peggy asked before you or Daniel could say anything.

"I'm not sure," Samberly said, still looking at the paper. "A cannon," he said after a few moments. "Something to do with gamma radiation. I believe it fires a pulse of high-energy photons."

"Which does what?" Daniel asked.

"It could eliminate zero matter," he said, looking around at everyone.

"Perhaps it could cure Jason Wilkes," Peggy said.

"Or kill Whitney Frost," Jarvis added menacingly.

"Look, you already got me to admit," Samberly said. "I don't know-"

"Do you think you can build it?" you asked.

He turned around and gave you a look, which didn't go unnoticed by Sousa. "Samberly, I swear to God, you're on my last nerve right now," Daniel said, raising his finger.

"I can do it," Samberly said. "But it's complicated. I don't know how long it'll take."

"We need it done as quickly as possible," Peggy said, shaking her head.

"Then I should start now," Samberly responded, gathering up the papers and heading off.

"Handoff is happening in less than an hour," Daniel said.

Jarvis stepped forward. "It appears you need a new driver."

Peggy sighed. "Fine, but you have to keep yourself under control, do you understand me?"

Jarvis nodded, and the four of you went to go get ready.

***

You, Peggy, Jarvis, and Daniel headed out of the lab together, but stopped when you walked past the sitting room with the telex. There, sitting on a chair, with one leg resting on the other knee, was Jack Thompson. "How did you get in?" you asked.

"Look at the four of you, plotting away. Scarecrow, Tin Man," he said, pointing at Jarvis and Daniel respectively. "Can you give me a moment? I would like a word with Dorothy and the Lion please."

You and Peggy stepped forward, wearing equal expressions of annoyance. "Jack, we have neither the time nor the patience right now," Peggy said, exasperated.

"You will," he said, holding up a file.

"What's this?" Peggy asked.

But Jack didn't answer right away. "And you," he said, pointing in your direction. "Peggy's taking a vacation huh?" He almost looked hurt that you lied to him.

"I was taking a vacation," Peggy said. "Now there's work to be done. What is that file?" she asked again.

"You have something on me, right?" Jack said, holding out the file for Peggy to read. "Now we're even. But I promise, I won't say a word. As long as you drop whatever it is that you're doing and come with me back to New York. To play by the rules." He stood up as Peggy looked through the file.

"What are you prattling on about?" Peggy asked, holding the file back out for Jack.

He didn't take it. "This covers your activities in June 1944."

"I was in the war, same as you."

"If you want to compare war crimes, yours are a lot worse," he said, a serious expression on his face.

Peggy looked momentarily confused. "Who put you up to this? Was it Vernon Masters?"

"All you need to worry about is what's in that file."

"And you never thought to question the convenience?" Peggy asked. "Vernon asked you to discredit me, and you locate the ideal report. Whatever this is, it's a forgery," she said, throwing the file down.

"I'm not falling for your slick talk," Jack said lowly.

"But you're falling for his," Peggy said. "You're willing to believe any phlegm Vernon coughs up onto the paper because you're worried that I would betray your trust. I wouldn't," she added softly.

Jack picked up the file again. "This is your choice, not mine."

Peggy looked him in the eyes. "Chief Thompson, you don't need to cut corners to get ahead," she said, turning to walk away.

"You're better than that," you added, giving him a wry smile before turning to follow Peggy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I replaced the three stooges joke in the series to be the four characters from the wizard of oz and honestly? it might be my favorite part of this whole fic


	22. Jailbreak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 8, "The Edge of Mystery."

The time leading up to the trade went by in a blur, and soon the back of your van opened to reveal Whitney Frost, Joseph Manfredi, and another man standing near Dr. Wilkes, who was handcuffed. You and Daniel were standing on either side of Peggy, with guns pointed at Whitney. "Agent Carter," Whitney said, voice dripping with venom.

Peggy said nothing until she looked at Dr. Wilkes. "Jason you're solid," she said, clearly shocked. "How?"

"Peggy, don't do this please," he pleaded, voice low.

Whitney shushed him and took a step closer. "You've seen your goods," she said, crossing her arms. "Now let me see mine."

Peggy grabbed the case that held the fake uranium rods and walked from the back of the van. She placed the case on the ground and continued to stare at Whitney.

Whitney nodded at Manfredi, who leaned down to check the reading of the rods, and you internally hoped that Dr. Samberly was actually as smart as he seemed to think he was.

"Ah, such a pity, that two accomplished women should be standing on opposite sides," Whitney said, smiling at Peggy. "Well, maybe three accomplished women," she said again, looking at you in the back of the van, your gun pointed at her.

You said nothing, but Peggy responded. "Yes, you're such a staunch defender of the sisterhood," she said sarcastically. "I can tell by the way you shot an unarmed, innocent woman."

"Well, occasionally sacrifices must be made," Whitney said in a similar tone to Peggy.

The scanner Manfredi was using made a crackling sound, and he held up the screen for Whitney to read. "35,000 CPM's," Whitney said, reading the device. "They pass muster."

Manfredi closed the case with the rods and picked it up, starting to walk away. "Eh," Daniel spoke for the first time. "Hand over Dr. Wilkes."

Whitney nodded at the man next to Dr. Wilkes and he was let go, walking towards the van, which held his containment unit. "Less than a minute to go," Whitney mocked. "Before you have to crawl back in your cage like an animal."

"Don't worry," Peggy whispered an assurance to Dr. Wilkes.

Manfredi handed off the case with the rods to another man, who fumbled, causing the fake rods to fall out on the ground. "They're fake," Whitney said. "They're fake, stop them!" she yelled.

"Move, Move!" Peggy yelled at Jarvis as she ran into the back of the van with Jason. Everyone was yelling as you and Daniel fired your guns to throw them off, and the van squealed away. Shots continued to be fired as Jarvis headed as fast as he could out of range.

***

You didn't know how long it had been before you looked out the back window and saw a car following you. You motioned for Daniel to look out the window, and he nodded back at you. At the same time, the walkie-talkie you guys had to communicate with Jarvis crackled to life. "They're following us," Jarvis said.

"We see them," you responded.

"You're all right," you heard Peggy say to Dr. Wilkes. "We'll lose them, and you'll be safe."

"How?"

"Howard sent specifications for a machine," Peggy said.

"What kind of machine?" Wilkes asked, still unsure.

"A gamma cannon," Peggy smiled.

Jason was not comforted. "Gamma rays? Do you have any idea how dangerous those are? We have to destroy those rods now!"

"The rods are safe," Daniel cut in. "She won't find them."

"Are they gaining on us?" Peggy asked into the walkie-talkie.

"No," Jarvis' voice came back. "They're still at quite a distance."

"Why are they driving so slow?" you asked, looking out the window.

Peggy and Daniel joined you. "They're in a big block caddie, they should have lapped us by now," Daniel said.

Suddenly, you heard a gun cock, and all three of you turned around to see Dr. Wilkes holding a rifle and pointing it right at Peggy. You were still holding your rifle, but after a glance over at Daniel, you realized he must have put his down on the floor of the van. "What are you doing?" Daniel asked.

"Jason what's happening?" Peggy asked, shock evident on her face.

"Where are the rods?" he asked calmly.

"Put it down Wilkes," you said sharply, voice anything but calm.

"Jason, I don't understand," Peggy said quickly. "You are outside of your containment chamber-"

Dr. Wilkes cut her off. "Miss Frost taught me a few things about my condition," he said. "Turns out she's as brilliant as we thought."

"This isn't you talking," Peggy pushed back. "You've been affected by the zero matter."

"Where are the rods, Peggy?" Jason asked again.

"What, so you can give them to Frost?" you said, stepping forward. "Forget about it."

"I'm not going backwards," Dr. Wilkes spat. "Where-"

"Lower your gun, and we will figure this out together," Peggy said, taking one step closer to Dr. Wilkes.

"No!" he yelled. "Tell me where-"

"I won't," Peggy said, looking him right in the face. "You'll have to kill me."

Jason was silent for a few moments, but then turned to Daniel. "Sousa, tell me!" he said, pointing the gun right between Peggy's eyes.

You slowly walked behind Wilkes, and positioned yourself to hit him over the head with your gun, but he saw right through you. "Put the gun down or I shoot," he said, still looking at Peggy.

"Not a chance Wilkes," you said, not moved a muscle. "Put your gun down."

Jason spun around and trained the gun on you instead. "Jason, stop this," Peggy said calmly, despite the circumstances. "Y/N, get over by us."

As much as you didn't want to, you remembered Jarvis' number one rule of working with the SSR, 'Do as Peggy says.' You slowly walked over and stood next to Daniel, but elected not to put the gun down, still pointing it at Dr. Wilkes. "I know how you feel about her," Dr. Wilkes pressed. "You want her to die for this?"

"Daniel, don't listen to him," Peggy said, still calm.

Wilkes' voice got softer. "If I have to choose between her life or mine, I know what I'm choosing."

"Don't tell him Daniel."

"Tell me," Jason yelled. "Or you will never see her breathe again!"

"The SSR," Daniel, said, defeated.

"Daniel stop!" Peggy yelled. "No!"

"Where?" Jason pushed.

"Wall safe at the SSR lab," Daniel continued.

"I'm sorry," Wilkes said to Peggy, before dropping the gun and running right through the back wall of the van.

"Stop the truck!" Peggy yelled into the walkie-talkie, and Jarvis stopped driving. You and Peggy threw open the doors of the van to see Jason over by the car that was following you, and the back door open. He got inside, and the car turned around and drove the other way.

"What do we do now?" you heard Jarvis' voice over the radio.

"I don't know Jarvis," you said softly. "I don't know."

***

You, Daniel, and Peggy raced through the SSR, desperate to get to the lab. Peggy threw open the door to the lab, you and Daniel not far behind. You were looking around when you heard Peggy say "Jack?" in utter disbelief.

Sure enough there he was, standing in the lab, in the dark. He turned around and stared at the three of you, looking like he didn't know how he got there. "What are you doing here?" you asked.

"I don't know," he said, voice thick with confusion.

"Why are you in the lab?" Peggy asked.

"I'm not sure," he said, putting his hand up to his temples. "I was in the bullpen. Now I'm here."

"Oh, damn it," you heard Sousa whisper. "Look," he said, holding up a device to Peggy: the memory inhibitor.

Your eyes widened as Peggy took the device and showed it to Jack. "Chief Thompson, someone used this device to give you amnesia," she said.

"Do you have any memory of who?" you added.

"Excuse me?" he asked, shaking his head.

"The uranium is gone," Daniel said, walking back from the safe.

"Jack this is of the utmost importance," Peggy said gently. "What is the last thing that you remember?"

"I was on the phone," he said, starting to leave the lab. You, Daniel, and Peggy followed him out to the bullpen, where he pointed out a desk and started to look on it.

"Who were you talking to?" Daniel asked.

"I wasn't talking, I was listening," Jack responded, still searching the desk. "Vernon and a woman."

You noticed an open notepad with some writing on it, so you ripped off the top page and showed it to Jack. "Is this your handwriting?" you asked.

"Yeah," he said.

You turned the piece of paper out to show Daniel and Peggy. "Those are coordinates," Daniel said quickly.

"To Whitney Frost," Peggy said.

***

While you were out in the bullpen gathering equipment, Peggy and Daniel walked into the chief's office to see Jack finish loading his gun. "Let's hurry up," Jack said as Peggy shut the door. "Or do you need me to load your weapons too?"

"Why don't you stay here in case we're wrong and Vernon returns?" Daniel said, giving Jack a look.

Jack was taken aback. "Don't you trust me, Danny boy?" he asked. "I'm hurt."

"You don't have the best track record," Daniel shot back.

"Your backup is a lab tech and a butler," Jack said, raising his eyebrows. "I'll admit that Barnes over there might be a better back up than some agents, but if I were you, I'd take all the help I could get."

Peggy raised her eyebrows at his comment before answering. "Two hours ago, you were using a redacted file to frame me," she said, hands on her hips.

"And 20 minutes ago, I was having my brain zapped. If I were helping them, I'd be on my way there," Jack said. "But I'm here with you."

"Let's go," Peggy said, opening the door and letting Jack walk out.

After he left the office, Jack made his way over to you. "What's happening between those two?" he asked you, pointing at Daniel and Peggy, who were still standing in the doorway, conversing quietly. "They seem different."

"There's a lot going on," you said. "Daniel gave up the location of the uranium rods to save Peggy's life and she's not happy about that." You could hear snippets of their argument because no one had shut the door.

"Wow," Jack said, looking back at Peggy, who looked furious. "And they've been arguing about that?"

"Yeah," you said. "You're lucky you didn't have to listen on the car ride here."

"We need to get going," Jack said, turning back to you. "And that means they have to put their lover's quarrel on hold and start focusing."

He started to head back over to where Peggy and Daniel were arguing. You could hear Daniel's voice. "So if the situation was reversed, that's what you would've done? Let him shoot me?" he asked.

Jack popped his head into the doorway and looked at both of them. "If it makes a difference I'd have let him blow you both away," he said, smiling.

"Jack!" you chided, hitting him on the back of his head, as Peggy rolled her eyes.

A shout of "Let's go!" was his only response.


	23. Double Agents In More Ways Than One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 8, "The Edge of Mystery," and season 2, episode 9, "A Little Song and Dance."

"Do you think the gamma pulse can reach that far?" Peggy asked. You, Peggy, Daniel, Jack, Jarvis, and Dr. Samberly were setting up the gamma cannon in the desert in order to close the rift that was looming about a half mile away.

"I suppose," Samberly said, fiddling with the control panel.

"Suppose or yes?" Daniel asked him, annoyed.

"Yes," he responded, before backtracking to "maybe."

Thompson walked over to you and pointed back at Dr. Samberly. "Who is this guy?" he asked. "What is he doing here?"

You rolled your eyes and responded, "Dr. Samberly, SSR lab tech. I'll tell you what I was told when I asked the same question about him," you said. "He's ... something."

Jack snorted at your answer. "Understatement of the century."

"And if it hits the rift?" Peggy was asking.

"Great," was his response.

"Will it close the rift?" she pressed.

"Yes. Maybe. I don't know."

You rolled your eyes again. "Did you hire him?" Thompson asked Sousa, shaking his head.

"Unfortunately," Daniel responded.

Dr. Samberly was getting agitated. "You're asking me to judge what will happen when something I've never fired miraculously manages to hit something I never knew existed?" he asked, pointing to the rift.

"Well, I guess this is where we find out," you said.

"What about Miss Frost?" Jarvis said angrily.

"She'll have to wait. We will get her," Peggy assured him. "But first we need to close the rift before any zero matter gets out."

"He doesn't even know if Mr. Stark's gamma cannon will work," Jarvis practically yelled.

"It's my cannon!" Samberly interjected as he walked by to retrieve the battery for the device. "You should know you only get one shot."

"At what?" Daniel looked up from what he was doing.

"At all," Samberly said, holding up a silver case. "I had just enough time to manufacture one battery charge."

Jarvis was still fuming. "Whitney Frost will get away," he said.

"We need to close the rift!" Peggy said. "Mr. Jarvis, stop!" she yelled as Jarvis began to walk away from the group and towards his car. "Would you just shoot the thing for god's sake?" she turned to you as Jarvis began to drive off in the car. "And I'll try and prevent him from killing himself. Y/N, you're in charge!" she said as she jumped into the truck and began to chase after Jarvis.

Samberly looked confused. "Chief? Chief what do we do?" he asked.

You, Daniel, and Jack all turned to face him. "DO AS PEGGY SAYS!" the three of you yelled, practically in unison.

Samberly backed off. "Alright, then we have to get the cannon aimed at the rift."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jack said impatiently.

Daniel started looking through the viewfinder on the cannon to see where to aim the pulse, and Samberly was being a general nuisance, as always. Thompson adjusted the cannon as Daniel instructed, and you were looking out into the vast desert to see if you could still see Peggy, but she had disappeared almost instantly. Once Daniel set the cannon, you walked back to stand next to them.

"Safety first!" Samberly yelled over the sound of the cannon whirring to life, and you all put sunglasses on to protect your eyes from any intense light the rift might give off when it reacts to the cannon pulse.

"Drive her home chief!" Thompson yelled as Daniel got ready to flip the switch on the cannon.

He muttered something you couldn't hear and flipped the switch with his crutch. The cannon fired a pulse of bright light, causing you to close your eyes. When you opened them, there was no rift in the sky. "It worked!" you shouted, almost jumping for joy.

"Of course it worked," Samberly responded. "I built it!"

You just rolled your eyes at him, but laughed when you heard Daniel say "Samberly if we survive this I might just kill you."

***

The cannon had been fired about a little while ago, and neither Peggy nor Jarvis had come back to get you guys. You were starting to get worried that something had happened to them with Whitney. But Samberly had slightly different concerns. "So they're gonna come back for us, right? I mean, they have our truck, our radios, our water," he said, starting to pace the area next to the cannon.

Jack put down the binoculars he was using to look for any signs of Peggy or Jarvis and turned to you. "Something's happened," he said. "It's been over an hour."

"The question is do we head towards the blast area or towards civilization?" Daniel asked.

"Strolling through a cloud of radiation isn't my first choice," Jack said, looking back at Daniel.

"You're supposed to drink your urine," Samberly cut into the coversation, and the three of you turned to look at him in disgust. "When you're dehydrated. I'm problem solving, c'mon!"

You only shook your head as Thompson turned and gave you a look that said 'is this guy serious?'

Daniel chose to ignore Samberly altogether. "Nearest town is at least a day's walk."

"Longer, if we have to drag that thing with us," Jack said, pointing at the gamma cannon.

You were about to respond when Samberly turned and pointed in the distance. "Look!" he shouted. "We're saved."

Two black sedans was driving through the desert, a little far off but heading in your direction. Jack put the binoculars back up to his eyes and looked through. "SSR cars," he said. "Vega and Blackwell."

"Vernon's guys," Daniel said, taking the binoculars from Jack and looking through them.

"How do you know?" you asked.

"He sent them to kick the crap out of me," Daniel replied. "Blackwell gargles aqua velva."

You made a face as Samberly cut into the conversation. "But they're just gonna take us back to the SSR right?" he asked.

"If they're Vernon's guys, I don't think that's what they have in mind," you said.

"What's the play?" Daniel asked, turning to look at Jack.

"Do you trust me?" Jack asked.

"Not at all," Daniel said.

"Good enough."

"So what is the plan?" Samberly asked.

"We need to convince them to take us back to the SSR and not kill us," Jack started. "I have an idea, but it requires everyone to cooperate and stick to the plan at all times."

***

Turns out, the plan was to make it look like you and Jack were double agents for Vernon, and for Jack to then convince Vega and Blackwell to take you all back to the SSR office. When the cars pulled up to where you guys were, you and Jack were kneeling on the ground with your hands on your heads. Daniel and Samberly were pointing guns at you, making it look like you and Jack had turned on them.

"Vega, thank God you found us," Daniel said when the agents got out of the cars. "Put Chief Thompson and Miss Barnes in the back of the vehicle. They're under arrest."

Agent Vega raised his gun towards you and Thompson, but faltered and said nothing. "You heard the man" Samberly said. "Sometime this week."

Vega and Blackwell looked at each other confusedly, then turned their guns on Daniel and Samberly. "Drop the gun chief," Agent Vega said calmly.

Daniel pretended to look shocked. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked softly, lowering his hands.

"Vernon sent them to kill whoever pulled the trigger on that thing," Thompson said, smiling. "That sound about right, boys?"

Neither of them responded to Thompson, but you could see they faltered for a second. "Doc, put that gun down before you hurt yourself," Blackwell said to Samberly, who dropped the gun and put his hands up.

Daniel followed suit and Thompson slowly stood up, nodding at you who did the same. "Good work boys," he said. "Thank you. Now, let's get these men back to the SSR. Vernon's gonna want to hear what they have to say."

Vega and Blackwell exchanged looks at that remark. "Uh, we're supposed to-"

"You're supposed to what?" Jack cut them off. "You're supposed to what Vega?" he repeated, staring them both down. "Kill us too? After I followed Carter out to the ass end of the desert and tried to stop her?" he yelled, before turning and pointing at you. "After she spent weeks hanging out with these loons and gaining their trust, to let me, and by extension, Vernon, know what was going on and always be one step ahead? Don't be an idiot Vega." Jack paused for a second before continuing. "Now get them into that car."

There was a minute where no one spoke, Vega and Thompson just stared at each other. "Fine," Vega conceded, putting his gun away. Him and Blackwell walked over to Sousa and Samberly, leading them to the car. Daniel stared daggers at Thompson as he walked by.

"Looks like you owe me another one Sousa, I just saved your life," Thompson said loudly.

"You're gonna regret this Jack," Daniel said, struggling to get out of Vega's grip.

Jack put his hand on Daniel's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "I doubt it," he chuckled, before punching Daniel right in the stomach. You internally groaned, but showed no sign of it on your face. "You guys go in one car with those two," Thompson said to Vega and Blackwell. "And I'll take the other one and we'll follow you guys back to the station. And send someone out here to bring that back to the SSR," he continued, pointing at the gamma cannon. "It won't fit in either of your cars."

"But-" Blackwell started to say.

"I'm not going to scratch the paint Blackwell, relax," Jack laughed. "I just thought it would be better to have two of you in one car, just in case they try to revolt," he said, pointing to Daniel and Samberly.

Blackwell reluctantly agreed and you and Jack got in the car and started to follow Vega back to the SSR.

***

"Well, that went as well as it could have," you said once Jack started driving. "I just hope they believe that I was a double agent for you."

"Why wouldn't they?" Jack asked, a little confused.

"When we were looking at Wilkes' house, at the beginning of the investigation," you said. "I called Vega dull and bad at his job because he immediately jumped onto the theory that Dr. Wilkes was a communist when in reality it was just Isodyne doing some half-assed cover up."

Jack held back his laughter. "Well as much as your absolutely right about that, let's just hope that he doesn't bring it up when we're at the station."

"We need to figure out what to say to Vernon when we actually get to the SSR," you said. "We could only do so much planning before the car pulled up, and Vernon's going to want to know why we're not dead when he figures it out."

"You're right," Jack said. "We need to convince Vernon that we're still useful to him, that he needs us in order to get what he wants."

"And what does he want?" you asked.

"He wasn't too happy at Chadwick's fundraiser," Jack answered. "I think that's when he found out that Whitney was the one calling the shots, and he's a man that likes to be in charge."

"So he wants to get rid of Whitney, and we happen to have a device in our possession that can do that," you said, wheels in your head turning. "One that currently does not have a charge and has suffered who knows how much damage in firing and transport."

"If we convince him that we can fix the gamma cannon to use in order to eliminate Whitney, then he won't be that peeved to the fact that we're still alive," Jack said, catching on to your plan. "After we take down Whitney, we can expose all the illegal actions of Vernon and the council and take them down too."

You nodded. "We need to convince Daniel and Samberly to work with Vernon though, or this whole plan goes down the gutter."

"When we get to the SSR, I'll distract Vega and Blackwell with some protocol garbage, and you quick fill them in on the plan," he said. "Then we just have to hope it works."

"Alright," you said quietly. "Let's do this then."


	24. Questionable Alliances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 9, "A Little Song and Dance."

Jack pulled into the SSR after Vega's car and you both got out. Nodding to each other, you headed to where Daniel and Dr. Samberly had been taken. Before you got too close to prying ears, you leaned towards Jack and whispered. "There's no bugs or any devices like that in the holding cell right?"

Jack shook his head. "No bugs, no two way glass. I'm going to keep Vega and Blackwell occupied for as long as possible, and then I'll head over to where you guys are."

When you walked into the holding room, Samberly had his head in his hands and didn't bother looking up when you entered. Sousa's eyes widened when you sat down in a chair next to the cell. "What's the plan?" he asked.

"You quickly looked through the door and made sure no one was coming. "Alright listen up because I don't have long. Vernon is obviously going to wonder why Vega and Blackwell didn't shoot us in the desert, and he might turn around and try to kill us now. But, we have one advantage over Vernon: the gamma cannon is broken and Samberly is the only one who knows how to fix it."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Samberly asked, still not looking up.

"Vernon doesn't like the fact that Whitney Frost is calling all the shots, so if we can convince him to work with us long enough to eliminate her, he won't kill us the minute he walks in. After Whitney Frost is taken care of, we can work to exposing the council's actions and taking him down next," you whispered.

Daniel nodded. "So we have to work with Vernon?"

"If you have any other ideas, you're welcome to share," you said. "But this is the only way to ensure that all of us will be alive at the end of the day."

A look of understanding crossed Daniel's face. "Alright," he said.

"There's one more thing though," you said. "We can't look like this is all a plan, so here's what is going to happen next. Jack was distracting Vega and Blackwell, but after that he's going to come here, inevitably with one of them following him. When Vernon shows up and Jack proposes we work together, you have to play it so the idea of working with Vernon is repulsive to you. He can't know that this is a set up."

Daniel nodded again. "Well acting like I hate the guy won't be that hard," he said. "How are you going to play this?"

"I'm not sure yet," you said. "But Vernon definitely isn't going to see me as a threat, so I'll be able to do whatever I want."

Before Daniel could respond, you heard footsteps approaching the holding room, so you quickly shot Daniel a look. He understood and looked down towards the floor while you looked away from the cell and waited. The door opened and Jack walked into the room, Agent Vega not far behind him. Jack sat down in the chair on the other side of the room and said nothing.

***

The room was completely silent until the door opened again, about ten minutes later. This time, it was Vernon who entered the room. Daniel and Samberly looked up when the door opened, and the show began.

"Agent Vega, would you care to explain why these men are not in a shallow grave back in the desert?" he asked quietly, not taking his eyes off the men in the cell.

"We were acting under Chief Thompson's orders, sir," Vega answered.

"Is that a fact?" Vernon said slowly, walking towards Thompson.

"That device you have in your lockup, the one that shut down that rift, it's called a gamma cannon," Jack said nonchalantly, obviously not bothered by Vernon's threatening nature. "These two can repair it."

Daniel looked outraged. "The hell we will!"

"Shhh," Samberly said quickly, putting his hand out. "Let's hear the man out."

"I believe that Whitney Frost is quite capable of figuring out a way to fix that contraption," Vernon said, still not taking his eyes off Jack. You doubted that he even noticed your presence yet.

"Probably," Jack shrugged. "But then you won't be able to use it on her."

That piqued Vernon's attention. He was silent for a moment before turning back to Agent Vega. "Give us the room," he said, and in moments it was just you, Jack, Vernon, Samberly, and Daniel in the room. Vernon started to speak before he noticed you sitting across from Jack, with a steely expression on your face. "Who are you young lady, and if you're part of this, why aren't you on the other side of those bars?"

You stood up and held out your hand for him to shake in mock respect. "Y/N L/N," you said politely. You weren't sure how much knowledge he had on Captain America and his known associates, but you figured using your maiden name was safer right now.

"She helped me stay one step ahead of these idiots," Jack said, pointing his chin at Sousa and Samberly in the cell. "Told me what they were up to whenever she could."

Vernon looked from you to Jack a few times before speaking. "Then why didn't you know that Carter was planning on breaking into Roxxon?"

Jack opened his mouth, but you cut him off. "That was my fault I'm afraid," you said. "I was in Seattle for the week on business, and I just couldn't get out of it."

Vernon grimaced, looking like he didn't believe you, but said nothing after that. "All right," he said, focusing back on Jack. "I'm listening."

"We fix the cannon," Jack said, getting up from the chair to face Vernon. "We bring Frost the cannon, and then we fire it at her pretty, blonde head and restore some order."

"What about Andy Hardy over here?" Vernon asked, gesturing to Daniel. "Is he gonna be willing to fall in line with this scheme? How do I know he won't come after me?"

"With what? He's got nothing on you. And even a jerk on his high horse can come off it when his career's on the line," Jack said wickedly as they both stepped closer to the cell. You knew it was all an act, but there was a part of you that wanted to punch Jack right now. You didn't, because that would ruin the entire plan. "He likes being the boss," Jack scoffed at Daniel through the bars. "Don't you Sousa?"

Daniel was silent for a few moments before addressing Jack and Vernon. "Whitney Frost is too dangerous to have running around. We take her down, I'll stay quiet."

Then Samberly opened his mouth. "Hi. I'm Dr. Samberly. I-I just want you to know you can absolutely count on me, sir. I'm on your side 110%."

You rolled your eyes and Daniel glared in his direction, which shut him up. Jack leaned closer to Vernon and they both turned away from the cell. "Look, Vernon Either way, I'm with you. We can deal with Frost," he said, turning back to glance at Sousa. "Or you say the word. I'll take care of these guys myself."

Vernon was silent for a few moments as the rest of you watched him anxiously, waiting to see if the plan had worked. "Okay, we'll do it your way Jack," he finally answered. "That's the smart way." He turned around and walked over to the holding cell. "Congratulations boys," he said to Sousa and Dr. Samberly. "Now get to work."

He was almost out the door when Samberly stood up and yelled. "Thank you sir! We won't let you down!"

You just sighed as Vernon left the room and Jack unlocked the cell door. "Well, that went as well as can be expected," he said, handing Daniel back his crutch.

Daniel gave him a look. "Still not sure why you had to punch me back there in the desert," he said.

Jack looked puzzled. "I had to sell it, Sousa."

"Yeah, yeah," Daniel said, walking out the cell. Both of them were smiling a little, so you knew their banter was friendly.

"Let's go," you said. "I'd rather not upset the living raisin that's out in the bullpen right now."

That earned a laugh from everyone, but your faces dropped the minute you left the holding room. It was time to get to work.

***

You were standing just outside the lab with Daniel and Jack, because Samberly apparently 'needed personal space' to fix the cannon. Jack and Daniel were quietly conversing a couple steps away while you were just waiting and zoning out. It felt like you were missing something in this plan, but you couldn't put your finger on it. And then it hit you. "Peggy!" you practically shouted, which then got Daniel and Jack's attention. "She's going to have no idea what happened to us!"

"We don't know what happened to her and Jarvis," Daniel said, confused.

Jack was catching onto your point. "Yeah, but she'll eventually find a way to escape, and when she arrives at where we were to find not only none of us but also no gamma cannon, she's going to assume the worst."

"We need her to go with the plan of working with Vernon or else it won't work," you said. "And we probably won't get any time to fill her in on the plan."

Daniel nodded, finally catching on. "She's going to head here after she can't reach us," he said. "And chances are, she'll see Vernon and like Jack said, assume the worst."

"So when she gets here, we just have to make sure she's willing to go through with our plan and that she sees it is the only viable option right now," you added.

"You two keep your eyes and ears out for Carter," Jack said, taking a step back. "I'm going to go in there and check on Dr. Idiot and make sure he's actually fixing the cannon and not twiddling his thumbs in there."

Once Jack was inside the lab, Daniel turned to you. "This may be the only viable option, but that still doesn't mean I like any part of this plan," he said quietly.

You nodded in agreement. "Neither do I. There's too much that can change in a second and I will never trust Vernon to not stab us in the back."

"We just have to keep going with it," Daniel said. "And hopefully everything will work out the way we want it to."

"I think we might need a miracle for that."


	25. Fuel to the Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 9, "A Little Song and Dance."

When Peggy did return to the SSR, she came with a fury. About an hour after your conversation with Daniel outside the lab, you, Jack, and Daniel were sitting in the conference room while Samberly was still working on the gamma cannon. The three of you looked through the glass window that separated the conference room from the bullpen, and sat in silence. And then you heard the main office door open and furious footsteps. You watched Peggy completely disregard the agents sitting at their desks, not even noticing the three of you in the conference room, and head towards Vernon's office with purpose, heels clicking threateningly. She practically ripped open the door and disappeared from your view. "What do you think she'll do?" Jack asked.

Not even a second after he finished speaking, you could hear a scuffle in the office, and Vernon painfully shouted "Carter!"

"Whatever she's doing, I think we should go over there and help," you said, getting up from the table.

"Agreed," Sousa said, and the three of you ran across the bullpen and into the Chief's office to find Peggy punching Vernon in the face repeatedly. "Peggy, Peggy, Peggy, Peggy," Daniel said as he and Thompson got down and pulled her off of Vernon. "Easy, easy, easy."

"What?" she asked, looking from Jack to you to Daniel, confusion evident on her face. "I thought-"

"Are you insane?" Vernon said angrily, getting up and sitting on a chair.

"Yeah what are you thinking Carter? We can't kill Vernon," Jack said, like it was obvious. "He's an integral part of this operation."

Peggy looked as if Jack had lost his mind and looked towards you and Daniel. You both grimaced and nodded, hoping to convey an unspoken message about the plan that's already underway. "And exactly what operation is that?" she asked.

"The operation to get rid of Whitney Frost once and for all," Vernon said, starting to walk out the door. "Come on, we'll show you."

***

The five of you walked from the chief's office to the lab, where Samberly was still working on getting the gamma cannon fully operational. He barely paid any attention to you all when you entered the room.

Vernon started to explain the plan. "As much as I can feel your seething hatred for me right now, we have to work together," he began. "Whitney Frost has become far too dangerous to keep operating the way she is, and that has to be changed. If this gamma cannon does what you all say it does, it should be exactly what we need to remove Whitney from power and bring things back to normal for once."

Back to normal for once. You felt like you've heard that phrase so many times since this operation began, and your entire life has been so far from normal recently you weren't sure you remembered what normal was. Peggy felt the same sentiment as you did. "This is ludicrous," she said sharply.

"Have a little faith," Jack said, smiling. "My man Samberly can patch this thing right up."

Peggy still wasn't convinced. "I wasn't referring to the cannon, and I have every ounce of faith in Dr. Samberly's talent."

That caused Samberly to stop working and look at you all. "Hey, thanks Carter. Nice to hear that once in a while."

Ignoring Samberly's ego, Peggy turned back to Jack. "What I'm speaking about is this man." She rolled her eyes and gestured to Vernon, who smiled menacingly. "I don't know about you, but I'm not in the habit of climbing into bed with snakes."

"I couldn't care less who you're climbing into bed with," Jack quipped, earning another eye roll from Peggy and a glare from Daniel.

"Let's say this works. We fix this device and then Vernon stops Whitney Frost with it," Peggy says. "Then what? How do you think his priorities will change? He'll be after us the very next second."

Vernon gave her a slippery grin before answering. "I know you'll have a hard time believing this, Agent Carter, but I have no interest in you. I won't kill you because I don't have to."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"What he means is, we all have dirt on one another," Daniel said, looking down at the floor.

"Bottom line is, if any one of you tries to take me down, I take you with me. The council calls this particular situation a stalemate, and the only way out of a stalemate is together," Vernon says, looking around the room. "I'm comfortable with that."

"Are you?" Peggy asked Daniel, anger evident in her voice.

"Our job is keeping people safe," Daniel reasoned. "If that means using Vernon to take down a lady who kills people with black space goop, that's what's got to happen."

"What's it gonna be Carter?" Jack asked impatiently.

Now, Peggy turned to you. "Y/N?"

You wanted to tell her about the plan to take down the council after Whitney, but Vernon was still in the room. You still had to play along as Jack's spy, as much Peggy might hate you for it. "Jack is right," you said evenly. "This is the best way to move forward."

"Carter?" Jack asked again.

Her eyes widened a little at your response, but said nothing. "Carter's a smart girl," Vernon's voice filled the silence. "She's gonna play ball."

"What do I have to do?" Peggy gave in.

Daniel turned to her and you before talking. "Y/N, you, and I are back up," he said. "We keep our distance, help with extraction if needed."

Vernon was growing impatient. "When the hell we gonna do this? I've got Frost breathing down my neck about this thing."

"Samberly?" Jack asked.

"Need at least another hour," he said, not looking up from what he was doing.

Vernon shook his head. "That's not gonna fly. She wanted it over an hour ago."

"Can't you talk to her, buy us some more time?" you asked Vernon, no kindness in your voice.

He looked slightly taken aback by your tone, but didn't say anything about it. "She's gonna want to hear that kind of news in person."

Out of nowhere, Jack spoke up. "I'll go." Everyone looked at him in shock. "What? Wouldn't be the first time I sold a load of bull to a lady," he said, winking at you and smiling.

You and Peggy sported matching eye rolls at his actions. "Whatever you say Jack," you quipped, turning to leave the room. "Don't die, I guess."

***

After Jack left to go delay Whitney Frost, Vernon went back to the bullpen and you, Peggy, and Daniel headed towards the conference room. "What happened to you guys after you fired the cannon?" she asked.

"Well, we were left in the desert with no way out, so when an SSR car showed up, we had to find a way to convince them to take us back to the office and not kill us right there in the desert, which Vernon had ordered them to do," Daniel began.

"We also had to convince Vernon not to kill us the minute we set foot in the SSR, so we had to play nice with him for now," you continued.

"I still can't believe you would go along with a plan like this," Peggy said. "But I understand why it had to be done."

"In order to get out of the desert alive, we had to make it seem like Jack and Y/N were working for Vernon," Daniel said. "Vernon definitely doesn't trust me or you, and he probably thinks that Y/N is Jack's girlfriend, and that she's harmless."

You lowered your voice even more before speaking again. "After we get rid of Whitney Frost, the next step is to expose the evils of the council. We can bring them to justice too."

"How?" Peggy asked. "He said he has dirt on all of us."

You smiled. "Yeah, but who am I to him? Nothing. He has dirt on you, Peggy, which I'm almost positive is a complete forgery. He may have something on Daniel and Jack because of the war, but you saw how I became invisible back there. And what is there in my life that has been so scandalous? I've never been to jail, never went to war, I've had about three jobs my whole life, and I'm a widow, not even a divorcee. He can't even bring up who my husband was, because if he did my credibility would only increase because of my relationships to Steve and Bucky. It is possible to take down Vernon and the council, we just have to deal with Whitney Frost first."

Peggy nodded, looking impressed. "If you say we have a chance, I believe you."

Daniel also nodded in agreement. "Now we just have to make sure this all goes to plan and Jack doesn't screw it up somehow."

"Hopefully he has enough common sense to do the right thing."

***

The truck drove back up to the SSR about an hour after Jack left, and you and Peggy walked out to see if Jack had succeeded while Daniel and Samberly loaded the cannon into the truck. "She bought it?" Peggy asked, surprised to see Jack still in one piece.

"She wasn't happy about it, but my blood's still on the inside, so, yes, she bought it," Jack said. "I told you I could handle it."

"Which is why I think you're up to something," Peggy answered, still not totally convinced.

"Don't worry about what I'm up to."

Before you could say anything, Vernon stepped out of the building. "You must have quite the silver tongue, Jack. I gotta be honest, I didn't think you'd get out of there alive."

"Thought you'd learned not to underestimate me Vernon," Jack said. The statement sounded playful but there was no sign of that anywhere on Jack's face, which struck you as odd.

Daniel came around the back of the truck. "This is the last piece." He gestured to Samberly, who was holding the battery of the cannon.

"All set?" Jack asked loudly.

"Just like you wanted. This is the gamma core," Samberly said. Jack reached out to take it, but Samberly moved it out of his reach. "I cannot stress this enough. Handle with extreme caution. Got it?"

Once Jack had the core and was putting it in the truck, Daniel turned to the rest of you. "Who's doing the honors?"

"I will." Vernon's voice cut in. "Seems only right."

Samberly turned to Vernon. "Red button's the trigger. That's the business end. Stay out of the line of fire if you don't want to incinerate yourself," he instructed.

"Be careful," you said to Jack. "Zero matter doesn't tend to listen to silver tongues." Jack only smiled in response before Vernon was ushering everyone to get moving.

Jack and Vernon got in the truck with the cannon while you, Peggy, and Daniel headed towards a sedan to follow them in. "I don't like this," Peggy said, and you nodded in agreement. "Too many things can go wrong, not least of which Vernon masters turning against us all."

"The one thing I know we can count on is Vernon doing what's best for Vernon," Daniel said, getting into the driver's seat. "And right now, that's getting rid of Whitney Frost."

Daniel turned the key, but the car only sputtered in response. As he got out of the car to check the engine, Peggy tried to radio in to Thompson, but to no avail. "Damn it!" you could hear Daniel as he shut the hood of the car again.

You popped you head out the back window. "What's wrong?"

"Fuel line's cut."

Peggy's eyes went wide. "Vernon."

You and Peggy stepped out of the car and went to head inside. The SSR had other cars, but this still gave Vernon too much of a head start. "Remember when you said that this plan was down to Jack not screwing it up?" you asked Daniel. "Well, you're definitely right about that."


	26. All Downhill From Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 9, "A little Song and Dance," and season 2, episode 10, "Hollywood Ending."

The three of you raced back inside the SSR building to get another car. You were walking around the side of the building towards the front when you looked through the window to see Samberly talking to Rose at the front desk. You stopped Daniel and pointed inside at Samberly, and he immediately got the message. The three of you burst in through the door, much to Samberly's surprise. "Samberly, we need your car now!" Daniel said.

Rose immediately jumped into business mode. "What happened?"

"Vernon sabotaged us," Peggy said sharply. "He's setting up Chief Thompson."

"Oh no," Samberly said, oddly not as worried as everyone else. "He's figured out our plan."

Daniel's face went blank. "What plan?" he asked, confused.

"You know," Samberly said as if it was obvious. "The plan?"

Peggy grabbed Samberly by the jacked and yanked him closer. "What are you talking about? What plan?"

He still didn't say anything, and Rose was getting impatient. "Spit it out Aloysius," she demanded.

"Turning the gamma cannon into a bomb," Samberly said, looking from Peggy to you to Daniel.

You spoke and Samberly's head turned towards you. "Bomb? Who told you to do that?"

"Chief Thompson," Samberly answered. "He said it was your idea," he added, gesturing towards Daniel. His eyes then went wide. "Wasn't it?"

Peggy let Samberly go and turned towards you. "I knew Jack was up to something!"

Daniel looked somber. "He's gonna kill them all."

Peggy's voice was considerably gentler when she added. "Including Dr. Wilkes."

Samberly was still a bit confused. "But that's okay right? He's evil now."

Peggy ignored his remark and didn't say anything, so you turned to him. "When will the bomb go off?" you asked.

"It's on a remote trigger. Thompson will blow it once he's clear."

Daniel was irate. "What is wrong with him? Why wouldn't he tell us this?" he practically yelled.

You could see the gears in Peggy's head turning. "The remote trigger you designed, it's on a radio frequency, yes?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Which means that you can block it," Peggy continued.

"I'd have to build a jammer to send out an EM wave."

Daniel cut in. "Can you build it in three minutes?"

"What am I, an amateur? I can build it in two," Samberly answered.

"Well then go!" Rose shouted, and Samberly ran off to go to the lab.

"When could Thompson have done this?" Daniel asked, turning to you. "I thought he was with us the whole time."

Your eyes grew wide. "Remember when he said he was going to 'check on' Samberly? He must have told him then and we didn't even notice."

"We have to stop him from doing this," Peggy said as everyone turned to head back into the SSR office.

***

It was dark when your car pulled up to where Whitney was currently hiding out, an old garbage dumb. Parking on the outskirts of the property, Samberly got to work on the jammer and Peggy kept watch through binoculars. Peggy had a small handheld pistol, and you were wearing Peggy's garter holster under your skirt, with an even smaller pistol inside it. Peggy had pulled you aside before you left to give you the holster, and told you that if the mission went south, you had to do as much as you could to continue and try to take down the council. You weren't totally sure what Vernon's opinion of you was, but you guessed that he cared about you as much as you cared about Howard's latest flings: only mattering when they caused you trouble.

"They've got the cannon," Peggy announced, watching the men unload the back of the van. "I'm going in to retrieve Wilkes."

"Are you nuts?" Daniel asked, turning around from watching Samberly. "If the bomb goes off, you'll be dead too."

Peggy wasn't going to change her mind. "We're out of time!"

"Samberly will get this working," Daniel reasoned.

"It's not working," was the announcement from Samberly.

Daniel was getting angry. "Why the hell not?"

"I only had two minutes to build it."

"You said that was enough!"

In the midst of their argument, Peggy tapped you on the shoulder and motioned for you to follow her into the building. You followed, hoping that Daniel was smart enough not to follow you inside.

After taking out a guard at the door of the building, you and Peggy snuck in, listening for any clue to Dr. Wilkes' location. Peggy saw another guard and pushed you behind a column, quickly taking him out. You stepped out to follow her and saw Dr. Wilkes, strapped to a table in the middle of the room, unconscious. Peggy rushed over to free him, and you stood watch, listening for any signs of Whitney or her men. Peggy and Dr. Wilkes continued to argue about how Peggy shouldn't be there, and when Wilkes was finally free, you poked your head around to see her practically carrying them. "We should go now," you said lowly. "The coast is clear, but we don't know how long we have until Jack pushes the button."

Peggy nodded and you all set off. "Y/N," you heard Dr. Wilkes say, and you turned around. "I wanted to apologize for my actions when we were looking for Underwood. I said some selfish things and you set me straight. And I want to apologize for threatening you."

You nodded back at him. "I forgive you Dr. Wilkes. I understand that what you are going through is stressful, and I'm not going to hold that against you. But we do need to keep going."

Despite the apology, Dr. Wilkes did not share your sentiment about escaping. The three of you approached a doorway, and once you and Peggy were through, Dr. Wilkes closed and locked the metal door. Peggy ran back and tried to open the door, but it was no use. "Open this door," she demanded.

"It's okay," Dr. Wilkes responded. "I'm ready for this to be over."

Peggy wasn't going to give up. "No! No, we can help you!"

The door remained locked. "You already have," he responded, giving Peggy a sad look. "Go," he said before turning and running deeper into the building.

Peggy huffed and turn to you. "Come on, we have to get out of here," she said. "Do you know why men are like this?" she asked, sighing.

You bit back a small laugh. "I don't think there's an explanation Peggy."

"You're telling me."

***

Jack walked out of the building, walked far enough away, and pushed the button. Nothing happened. He tried hitting the device, holding down on the button, but with no avail. When he finally realized what was going on, he cursed and took off. Carter was close, and she was ruining his plan.

He ran over to a car and found Samberly and Sousa, and Samberly was working on a device, which must be what was causing the bomb not to go off. "Jack, what the hell are you doing?" Sousa asked, staring angrily at Jack. "You want us to trust you, then you pull this crap?"

"This isn't about trust, this is about making the hard choices," Jack said evenly. "Now where's Carter?"

"Oh wouldn't you like to know?" Sousa asked. "Her and Y/N are in the building right now, trying to rescue Dr. Wilkes so we can possibly have a fighting chance against Whitney!"

Jack's expression changed for a second. "Barnes is in there?"

Daniel didn't get to answer before you and Peggy ran up to them. "You were going to kill an innocent person!" Peggy shouted, and he turned around to meet your angry stares.

"Not one person in there right now is innocent!" Jack said angrily, pointing at the looming building.

"Jason Wilkes is!" Peggy said, matching his tone.

"I'm doing what needs to be done," he said, looking from Peggy to Daniel. "What the two of you won't do."

"Murder three people?" Daniel cut in, steely glare on his face.

Jack was fully yelling now. "Vernon Masters would have killed all of us the first chance he got! Then he'll go for the ones we care about! There's no other way!"

Peggy didn't yell, but you could feel her anger when she spoke. "Vernon Masters should be brought to justice. Isn't that our job? Or is the SSR no longer in that business?"

Jack lowered his voice, but his anger still resonated. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Whitney's taking care of him as we speak, with or without the bomb, and nobody is gonna shed a tear if we blow Whitney Frost to kingdom come." He sounded unlike himself, almost desperate. You couldn't help but wonder why he was so invested in all this, who he was worried about getting caught in the crossfire.

Peggy didn't give up. "And how does killing Wilkes fit into your moral prevarication?"

"BECAUSE HE'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN ALL OF THEM PUT TOGETHER!" Jack roared. "Samberly, whatever you did to the detonator, undo it."

"Jack forget about it, this is over!" Daniel said strongly.

But it wasn't over to Jack, who pulled his gun and pointed it at Samberly. "Fix it."

"NO!" you, Peggy, and Daniel shouted at the same time.

Samberly leaned over and hit one switch on the device. "Fixed."

Jack lowered his gun and turned around, only to be met with you and Peggy pointing your guns at him. He raised the trigger unit and stared defiantly at you both. "Put it down," Peggy ordered.

Jack wasn't bothered. "What? You're gonna shoot me Carter? Barnes?" he asked, looking at both of you.

"Listen to her, Jack" Daniel said.

"You won't," he said, looking at Peggy. "You can't," he added, turning to you. "You don't have it in you."

You realized that what he said was true. "You're right," you answered, lowering your gun. "I don't have it in me to kill you in cold blood. I'm not an agent, I wasn't trained for espionage, to make the tough decisions in a split second. But you're missing one crucial thing here Jack," you said quietly.

"What?"

"That she is," you said, looking at Peggy.

"You said I couldn't, and there was a time when that was true," Peggy said, on the verge of tears. "Not anymore." She cocked her pistol. "Put the detonator down Jack."

"Sorry Carter," Jack said, not moving. "Gotta do it."

And a blast rang through the night, knocking everyone onto the ground. You quickly got up, turning to Jack and giving him a venomous stare. He, oddly enough, looked confused. "Wasn't me," he said, holding up the detonator, which hadn't been pressed. "It's still armed."

***

Peggy looked towards the building and immediately was racing over to get inside, with you, Daniel, and Jack following. Peggy opened the door and stepped inside, looking around. She turned and stopped the rest of you from moving forward. "Watch your step, there's Zero Matter on the floor."

You nodded and looked down. "I see some here too."

Jack was poking around the room. "Whatever went off, it definitely wasn't the gamma cannon," he said, lifting up some of the wreckage. "It's still here, and in pretty good shape too."

"Any sign of Vernon?" Daniel asked.

"Could be anywhere in this mess," Jack answered.

"There's more Zero Matter here," Peggy said, looking down.

"Must have come from Wilkes," you reasoned.

You could hear coughing from one corner of the room, and Peggy immediately recognized it. "Jason!" she said, quickly heading towards him and moving some debris to get to him.

Dr. Wilkes stopped coughing and looked up at Peggy. "Peggy, it's not safe!"

"I think you're all right," she answered. "How do you feel?"

"Weak, sore," he said, getting up. He then stopped and looked down at himself, much to your confusion. "The Zero Matter. It's gone. I couldn't hold it anymore."

"It seems you've expelled it," Peggy said kindly. "Can you move?"

That's when you noticed the Zero Matter on the floor, all moving around. "Peggy," you warned. "Something's happening."

It was moving towards another pile of debris, which was moving slightly. Jack raised his gun. "We've got a problem."

Whitney Frost pushed herself up and extended her arms so that her palms faced the floor. Like she was magnetic, the zero matter was drawn to her and she started to absorb it, eyes black as obsidian. "There," she said wickedly. "Everything is where it belongs."

You and Daniel drew your weapons and pointed them at Whitney as she started to walk towards the four of you. "Don't bother," Peggy said, holding her arm out. "Those won't stop her. We have to move. Now!"

She grabbed Dr. Wilkes and everyone started to tear through the building as fast as they could. But you were met with a small issue. "Where the hell's the car?" Jack asked, helping Peggy support Dr. Wilkes' weight.

"Where the hell is Samberly?" Peggy added.

"That's the $64 question!" Daniel said, angrily.

"No offense Sousa, but next time I see that guy, I'm gonna kill him!" Jack said, looking around.

"I'll help you," you added, rolling your eyes.

"Just pick a direction and run!" Daniel said loudly.

Then the door opened, and Whitney Frost marched out. "You can run if you want," she said proudly. "But why bother? I know where you're going, and it's only a matter of time until I find you. You honestly thought that I-"

Before she could finish that statement, tires screeched and a yellow sedan slammed into Whitney Frost. Everyone turned around in shock, as Howard and Jarvis leaned out to get a look. "Jarvis!" Howard said. "You just hit a woman with my car!"

"I know sir."

"She's a two time Oscar nominee," Howard continued.

"Miss Frost is quite resilient. She's fine, trust me."

You were just getting over the weirdness of that when Samberly pulled up behind Jarvis. "Sorry!" he yelled, poking his head out the window. "Got turned around!"

"Everybody in the cars, please. Quickly now!" Jarvis said.

You, Jack, and Daniel headed towards Samberly's car while Peggy helped Jason into Howard's. Wheels squealed as the cars drove off, no one noticing Whitney stand up again.


	27. Through the Two Way Mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and like two lines of dialogue with season 2, episode 10, "Hollywood Ending."

"So what are we going to do back at the SSR?" you asked from the back seat of the car, sitting next to Daniel.

Jack turned around from the passenger seat and gave you a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Vernon might be gone, but he was able to take over the SSR fairly easily, meaning he has supporters in the office, Vega and Blackwell for sure, but who knows how many others?" you said. "We have to figure out who we can trust."

"Vega seemed like the one who was calling the shots when Vernon wasn't there, so we should probably start with him," Daniel said. "You're right Y/N, we don't know how many of the LA agents were corrupted."

When Samberly pulled into the SSR, all three of you got out and you and Jack headed in. Daniel appeared a few seconds later, right before Jack turned the handle that reveals the office. "Where'd you go?" you asked him.

"I sent Samberly home for the night," he answered. "Told him we'd call if we needed anything. This way we can get things done without worrying about what he's doing."

You laughed. "And we finally get some peace and quiet."

When the three of you walked into the bullpen, everyone there stopped working and stared. Jack paid no mind to the attention as he walked over to Agent Vega's desk and yanked him out of his chair. The other agents watched with wide eyes as Vega was dragged off into an interrogation room. You followed him, and right before Jack pushed Vega into the room, he pointed at another door right next to him. Nodding, you entered. Inside, there was a desk with a telephone on it and a notepad and pen. One of the walls was two-way glass, so you could see Jack push Vega down into a chair, and then take a seat across from him. "Alright Vega," Jack said, rolling up his sleeves. "Give it up. Who's working for Vernon?"

Jack's question was met with silence as you watched attentively, not knowing what was going to happen. You've been in Vega's seat before, the first time you met Jack. "Vernon's dead. There's no way to save yourself," Jack said, growing impatient.

"What are you going to do then?" Vega asked defiantly.

"I can hit you so hard that you'll be crying for your mother after one minute, Vega. How do you think I got where I am in interrogations? By offering the suspects coffee? And after that, I'll walk right out of the room and switch places with Ms. Barnes, who is watching us right now," Jack said. The mention of your name took you by surprise. How did you fit into all this? "And you'll think what I did to you was nothing more than a light tap. She'll hit you so hard that the outline of her hand will be on your face for days, and every time someone asks what happened, you'll have to admit that you lost to a woman who works in a public relations office." He was drawing on emotion, on Vega's pride.

And so far, it was working. Vega's eyes flashed with fear, despite his neutral expression. "You're bluffing."

"I'm not, but do you really want to take that chance?" Jack asked. Vega said nothing, so Jack decided for him, getting up and leaving the room. He walked into your half of the interrogation room, and nodded at you. "It's your turn. I'll tell you right now, Vega doesn't think you're a threat. He doesn't realize who you grew up with, where you grew up, and he certainly doesn't know about how you slapped me the first time we met. You're welcome to hit him, by the way. Rattle his bones a little, he'll start to sing. I can guarantee if you slapped him half as hard as you slapped me, he'll be putty in our hands after a few seconds."

You nodded at Jack and stepped into the interrogation room, taking Jack's seat across from Vega. You didn't want to hit him, but that didn't mean you were going to be nice to him. So you said nothing. For a while. Vega was the one that spoke first. "Am I supposed to be afraid of you?"

"You don't have to be afraid of something for it to hurt you, Agent Vega," you said lightly. "I can tell you don't believe Chief Thompson, and that is understandable. I work public relations, why would I be a threat? But what Jack probably didn't tell you is that he's seen my rage firsthand. He definitely didn't tell you about the time we first met, because I slapped him so hard that Chief Sousa called him 'handprint' for a few days, because apparently you could see the outline of my hand on his cheek. And for me, I guess once you've beaten up men almost triple your size in the slums of Brooklyn, you stop being afraid of pencil pushers like you," you said.

Agent Vega gulped, and was about to speak before the door to the interrogation room opened and Jarvis popped his head inside, offering you a cup of coffee. You accepted it and placed it in front of you on the table, before kicking back the chair and putting your feet on the table, relaxing. "Choose your next words wisely Agent Vega," you said.

***

Jack smiled as Vega started to give up every one of Vernon's associates in a frantic manner. Leaving the interrogation room to go and collect the agents who were working against him, he ran into Sousa in the hallway, leading Agent Harper to the holding cells. "Vega's singing like a bird, giving up every one of Vernon's buddies," he said, smiling at Sousa.

Daniel looked dumbfounded. "How hard did you hit him?"

"I didn't lay a hand on him," Jack answered. "I guess my reputation proceeds me."

Daniel could sense bullshit. "Nope. What actually happened?"

Jack rolled his eyes before answering. "I set Barnes loose on him. Gave her full permission to slap him to tomorrow."

Daniel smiled. "That's more like it. I'd kill to see that."

"You're welcome to stop in."

Jack went on his way as Daniel dropped Agent Harper off in the holding cell and then stepped into the other half of the interrogation room, so he could observe you but wouldn't bother you. Sure enough, there you were, casually taking notes on a notepad, cup of coffee in front of you, while Vega practically cried out the names of Vernon's associates. He wondered if you actually hit him, because after watching you hit Jack all that time ago, he immediately decided that he definitely didn't want to be on the receiving end of your slap. Ever.

The door opened again and Jack walked back in. "All the agents that working with Vernon are rounded up in the holding cells. Is Vega still blubbering on?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah. How hard did she hit him?"

"She didn't either," Jack answered. "She's giving Carter a run for her money on threatening personality though."

"That's probably why they get along so well," Daniel laughed, heading towards the door. "I'm going to get a head start on the paper work for this whole debacle. Do you think we need to do anything else?"

Jack shook his head. "When Vega stops crying like a newborn, I'll look at the list Barnes is collecting and see if anyone poses a real threat. Right now, we're the only ones who know that Vernon's dead, so this should be able to wait until after Whitney Frost is taken care of."

***

After your interrogation with Agent Vega was complete, you stepped back into the other half of the room to find Jack, who smiled when he saw you. "Barnes! How does it feel to be on the other side of the interrogation for once?"

You laughed. "Definitely a lot better than being in the hot seat, that's for sure."

Jack got up and held out a folded piece of paper to you. "Carter stopped by, said that her, Jarvis, and Stark were heading out and to give you this."

You took it and opened it. Inside was a note that said basically what Jack had just told you, and that when you were done you could call Jarvis for a ride back home. "Just says I can call Jarvis whenever I'm ready to go home," you told him. "You still need my help around here? Can't imagine the paperwork is going to be fun from the fact that half the office was corrupt."

"I'm not touching any paperwork until tomorrow," Jack said as you both walked out the door of the interrogation room. "I was going to get something to eat and then head back to the hotel."

"Are you sure that you guys don't need anymore help?"

"Positive. I'm going to make sure Sousa doesn't drop dead of exhaustion and then I'm leaving. I feel like I haven't eaten in years."

"Alright," you answered, turning around. "I'll just go call Mr. Jarvis then."

You heard Jack say your name from behind you and you turned back around. "Let me drive you home," he said quickly. "You don't have to call up Jarvis, and we can even stop by that place we went last time for hamburgers. I at least owe you dinner for everything that's happened today."

You thought about it, and agreed after a few moments. A hamburger did sound amazing right now.

***

The atmosphere between you and Jack was calmer than last time, maybe because you weren't secretly interrogating him over french fries tonight. The topic of conversation soon shifted to something familiar: New York. "LA might have grown on me a little, but I still miss New York," Jack said, sipping his soda.

You nodded. "I'm thinking about going back soon, for a couple weeks," you said.

"Why? Don't you have to be where Stark is?" he asked, surprised.

You shook your head. "There's some business that should be taken care of in the New York, regarding Stark Industries. It's not really time sensitive, but it is a big assignment, so I was putting it off for a little while. Then this whole case started up and I figured I should probably go after everything settles down from this."

"Do you think you would ever move back to New York?" Jack asked.

You thought about it, and then lowered your voice. "Just between you and me, I think Howard might be moving back to New York soon. I don't think the movie business is exactly what he pictured, and he kept a lot of real estate and office operations in New York when we moved."

Jack smiled. "Soon the only one out here will be Sousa," he laughed.

"And Peggy, probably."

"Huh?"

You smiled at him. "Come on, you can't say you haven't noticed how Peggy and Daniel act around each other? I've known that Daniel liked her since last year with the weapons theft case, and even though Peggy is a little harder to read, she likes him too. She might request to transfer to the LA division."

"You really think so?"

"Sure," you said. "And maybe in a couple years you'll be flying back out to LA for the Carter-Sousa wedding."

"What about you, then? What's next? I hope after all this I get invited to your wedding at least," he quipped.

"I don't know if I'll have one to invite you to," you said. "Howard keeps trying to set me up, but no guy that I've been on a date with has made me want to walk down the aisle again, you know?"

"Tough shoes to fill?" he asked, looking down at the ring you still wore.

"In a way," you said quietly. "I still love Bucky, but I have to accept that he's gone. But I'm not looking for anything right now. If something happens, it happens, you know?"

"I think part of it is that you're getting dating advice from Howard Stark."

"I think you might be right on that one."

***

When Jack dropped you off at Howard's, you weren't surprised to see lights on. Howard was often up at all hours of the night, working on strange new things. You were surprised to see Peggy still awake though. Her and Howard were sitting in the living room, quietly conversing when you walked in. "How'd you get home?" Howard asked, looking confused.

"Jack dropped me off," you said. Peggy gave you a look, which you vehemently ignored. "Why are you guys still awake?"

"Waiting for you," Peggy said. "Jarvis said you hadn't called before he went to bed, so we were waiting for you to call for a ride."

Howard pointed towards the kitchen. "We left some food out for you if you want."

"No thanks. I think I'm just going to head off to bed. I already ate," you said, turning and heading to your room.

After you left, Howard turned to Peggy in confusion. "Jack?" he asked.

"Thompson. You've met him before," Peggy said, and Howard nodded. "He's the blond one. Y/N won't admit it but I think there might be something between them."

"That's good," Howard said sincerely. "She deserves to be happy. So do you, Peg."

Peggy waved him off with a smile and headed to her own room to sleep.


	28. Mounting Dread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 10, "Hollywood Ending."

After the events of yesterday, it was nice to have some peace and quiet. You, Peggy, and Jason were having lunch with Howard outside, and for this time, everyone was ignoring the very real need to stop Whitney Frost before she becomes too powerful. "Thanks again for letting me stay here," Dr. Wilkes said to Howard.

"Think nothing of it, Doctor. I've got plenty of room and I already house enough animals," he said, looking at you and Peggy, before calling to Jarvis that he needed more mustard.

Peggy looked shocked. "I take offense to that!"

"We live in a house with portraits of you in every bedroom, that we didn't agree to by the way, and we're the weird ones?" you said, raising your eyebrows at Howard.

"Is there really a portrait of you in every bedroom?" Dr. Wilkes asked.

Howard smiled proudly. "It's a collection. Each one if different." You snorted at his remark and he turned to you. "What? Art makes a house a home."

Peggy ignored Howard's ridiculous remark and spoke to Dr. Wilkes. "I hope you're well rested Jason," she said kindly. "Howard is going to need help making a new gamma cannon."

Jason looked somber. "I've been thinking about that, and I hate to be a naysayer, but let's say we're successful. We use the gamma cannon to separate Whitney Frost from the Zero Matter. Then what? The Zero Matter is still here, in the world," Jason said. "We need a way to completely banish it back it where it came from."

"The man makes a good point Peg," Howard said, not looking up from his lunch. "Why don't you whip up a new containment unit? We can capture some of the Zero Matter and safely study it in Stark Labs."

You rolled your eyes at that. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life."

"I'm only trying to help!"

"Trying to help yourself!" Peggy cut in, putting her utensils down. "To get custody of the Zero Matter so you can make a profit on it."

"That stings," Howard said, looking hurt.

"You'll heal."

"Fine," Howard conceded. "Anyway, we got a bigger problem on our hands. We're out of mustard. Jarvis, you cultivating seeds in there?" You heard footsteps walking towards you, and saw Dr. Wilkes gasp, so you turned around to see what was the matter. Walking across the patio, gun pointed at Jarvis, was Joseph Manfredi.

"Introducing, Mr. Joseph Manfredi, of the Yonkers Manfredis," Jarvis said, hands raised high in the air, holding a container of mustard.

You saw Peggy start to rustle around. She must have the garter holster on. But Manfredi saw it too. "I see a gun, this guy sees heaven!" he said, pushing the gun into Mr. Jarvis' side. Peggy stopped moving.

"Easy, easy, easy," Howard said, hands half raised. "Let him put the condiment down." Once the mustard was on the table, Jarvis put his hands back in the air. "Now you listen to me Manfredi," Howard said angrily. "You can't just walk into a man's home and take his butler hostage."

"Oh yeah? Well you can't steal my underwear." You and Peggy looked at each other, confused.

Howard seemed to know what was going on. "I told you then and I'm telling you now," he said. "You can't wear your skivvies in a schwitz."

There was another moment where no one moved or spoke, and then Howard and Manfredi broke out into laughter. Jarvis put his hands down as they both hugged, much to the confusion of everyone else. "You know Joe Manfredi?" Howard asked, smiling.

Peggy was not smiling. "Yes we do," she said shortly.

"Yes, this man kidnapped me," Dr. Wilkes added, clearly not happy to see Manfredi. "He strapped me down so Whitney Frost could torture me and remove the Zero Matter from my body."

Joseph didn't seem to be surprised at his welcome. He apologized to Dr. Wilkes insincerely, and then turned back to Howard. "That's why I'm here," he said. "I think we all have something in common. We're worried about Whitney."

"Mr. Manfredi, I think you are vastly misunderstanding the situation right now," you said slowly.

"Let me explain," he said sincerely, and you all sat down to listen.

***

The plan hinged on whether or not Peggy and Daniel could successfully break into Whitney's room and steal her formulas, because if they couldn't, it was back to the drawing board. Thankfully, they were able to get in and out before Whitney could notice anything wrong, and brought the research back to the SSR to be studied by Dr. Wilkes, Dr. Samberly, and Howard. The plan actually hinged on whether or not the three of them could decipher Whitney's notes, and whether or not they could work together without killing each other. When you walked into the SSR with Peggy after giving them the notes, you were not surprised to hear them at odds with each other.

"I have to agree with Dr. Samberly," Dr. Wilkes was saying. "It's terrible."

"Thank you!"

You and Peggy walked over to Jarvis, who was just watching the three of them squabble like children. "Have they determined what Whitney's designed?" Peggy asked, knowing the answer already.

"Show of hands," Howard cut in. "Who here has invented a hovercar?" He raised his hand. "Nope? Nobody? I win!"

Jason was not having it. "It didn't even work!"

That's when you spoke. "No it did not, and it was a nightmare to handle the aftermath," you said, raising your eyebrows at Howard. "You told me that there weren't any issues because it's the technology of the century."

"And it barely hovered!" Samberly cut in.

"Do you know how much shit I got from Bucky about that thing?" you asked Howard. "His letters to me from overseas would ask if it actually worked yet, or if it just blew up. I never lived that one down."

"Well the second one did work!" Howard defended.

Asking Howard, Jason, and Samberly was clearly getting you nowhere, so Jarvis turned to you and Peggy. "As we suspected, it's a machine that cuts a fissure between our world and the Zero Matter dimension," he said. "The conversation has now turned to naming rights."

Peggy put her hands on her hips and turned to the three scientists. "Have you lot got nothing better to do?"

"The Shears of God," Howard said, throwing his hands out towards you and Peggy. "It's a great name. Right Jarvis?"

"Patently ridiculous sir."

Howard protested, and Peggy tried to put everyone back on task. "Gentlemen. Will it work?" she asked sharply.

"She is describing two different four-dimensional space-times: one for our universe, one for the Zero Matter world. This design is a machine that connects the two. If she weren't a homicidal maniac, I'd be in love," Howard answered, smiling. "It'll work, but there are issues."

"For example, how do we prevent more Zero Matter from coming out," Samberly said, pacing behind Howard.

"Not to mention the risk," Jason added. "If we lose control of it, we've only succeeded in giving Whitney Frost the means to bring about the end of the world," he said somberly.

Peggy cracked a small smile. "Well, I'd like to postpone Armageddon if we can help it," she quipped. "Yes, there are many obstacles, but I'm standing in front of three of the most radiant minds on the planet. Surely, you can find a way to overcome them."

There was a silence as Howard, Jason, and Samberly basked in her comment. Jarvis turned to the two of you. "I believe you can actually hear the sound of their egos growing," he said.

"You're absolutely right, Mr Jarvis," you said, turning away and starting to head out of the room. "Let me know when you idiots have it all figured out!" you called through the doorway. "Then we can get down to business!"

***

Once Howard, Samberly, and Wilkes finally got down to working together, you were called into the SSR lab to start piecing everything together. Howard wasn't being much help, so you had to rely on your instincts and whatever scattered instruction you could hear from around you to put everything together. He was too busy flirting with Rose to hear you addressing him several times and you would have rather drowned yourself than ask Samberly for help, so you moved away from everyone in the room and hoped you were doing this right, blocking out all conversation until the door swung open rather loudly to reveal Jack Thompson. "Okay look, I'm not a scientist," he said plainly. "But I'm here to help."

"How about collecting the dinner orders?" Peggy said with a smile on her face. You had heard the stories from her about always being the one to take food orders, and you knew that this was her revenge.

You bit back a laugh before speaking. "And then after that's taken care of, I could use an extra pair of hands. Someone's a little too busy flirting," you said pointedly, looking at Howard.

Howard didn't even register your comment, but Jack smiled and nodded at you before turning back to Peggy. "You know what, Marge?" he said, pointing at her. "I'm gonna do that for ya. What do you guys want? Got to be good takeout somewhere in this city."

Jack took the orders and disappeared for a few minutes, but headed straight over to you when he returned. "What do you need me to do?"

"Here, hold this," you said, handing him part of the frame. "I need to attach something and I can't do it and hold the frame at the same time."

He nodded and stood dutifully still as you worked on the contraption, hoping that you were doing this right from the scribbled instructions Howard had given you. When you were done, Jack put the machine down and you stepped back. Once everyone else was done, you all headed back out to the bullpen while Jarvis went to go pick up dinner. You had thought Peggy might make Jack go, but she must have realized that he had no idea where anything was in LA and would almost definitely get lost. Peggy and Daniel were talking quietly, Howard was debating the specifics of the hover car with Jason, and Dr. Samberly was badly flirting with Rose, so Jack slowly gravitated towards you.

After a few minutes of idle conversation, he pulled you a little farther away from everyone else and lowered his voice. "You've seen the Arena club pin before right?" he asked.

You nodded. "Once. Peggy didn't know what it was for, and Howard told us. I knew of the Arena Club through working with some of Howard's more powerful associates, but I didn't recognize the symbol on the pin."

Jack reached down into his pocket and pulled one from it, showing it to you. "I found this in Vernon's briefcase. But look," he said, twisting the head of the pin to reveal two spokes coming out the bottom.

Your eyes widened. "It's a key!" you whisper-yelled. "But to what?"

"I don't know. But I also don't know what to do with it."

"After we take care of Whitney, give it to the SSR," you suggested. "They can look into finding what it opens."

"You're right," he said, putting the pin back in his pocket. "I'm not really looking to stay in LA longer than I have to be. I'll give it to Sousa to work on after this is all taken care of."

***

Unbeknownst to you, Peggy and Daniel had finished their conversation and were watching you and Jack intently. They didn't see the Arena Club pin that Jack was showing you, so to them it looked like you two were standing awfully close to each other and talking quietly. "What are you thinking?" Daniel asked Peggy. "I see that look on your face."

"I think that as much as neither of them want to admit it, they are rather taken with each other. If Howard remains in LA, I have a feeling Jack will be coming back to 'check up on the office' much more often as a guise to visit and spend some time with Y/N."

"Great. That's exactly what I need all the time after this is over. Surprise visits from Jack."


	29. The (Almost) End of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot and some dialogue with season 2, episode 10, "Hollywood Ending."

The drive to the movie studio was silent. Howard tried to maintain some conversation, but it soon became apparent that you, Peggy, and Jarvis weren't all that chatty. You didn't know how the other car was faring, but you decided that either they were all sitting in silence like you were, or Daniel, Jack, and Jason have all killed Dr. Samberly. Everyone regrouped at the center of the lot (with Samberly surprisingly still alive), which was set up to look like a suburbian town, blocks of buildings on all sides. There was a clearing in the middle of the "town" that you were going to create the rift in. Now, everything just had to be set up. "Thanks to Mr. Stark's contacts at the DWP, the rift generator is hooked up and ready," Dr. Wilkes said, giving the machine a once over.

"The x-ray projectors are set. I'll run between them, make sure they're functioning," Samberly said, pointing out the machines placed around the town square.

"Jarvis, Dr. Wilkes, and I will man the gamma cannon," Howard added, toying with the remote trigger box in his hands.

"Y/N, Peggy, Jack, and I will be on the lookout for Frost," Daniel said. "We'll radio in if we see her."

"Alright," Jack yelled, turning around. "Let's do this!"

Once everyone had their assignments, you all started to separate, but Dr. Wilkes stopped you. "Hold on! Safety meeting," he said, grabbing everyone's attention. "From the Isodyne atomic tests, we know that moments before the rift closes, anything within a certain radius will levitate and instantly be drawn into it. For a rift this size, we've calculated that the no-go zone to avoid being sucked in is twenty feet from the generator." To emphasize his point, he drew a circle in the sand with stick around the rift generator. "Once that rift begins to close, you don't want to be on the other side of this line."

You nodded as Peggy spoke up. "Alright, I think we're ready."

"Let's see what she's got!" Howard said, starting up the rift generator. Right before your eyes, the air cracked and a rift was opened, Zero Matter swirling around inside. Now it was time to wait.

***

You and Daniel were positioned on balconies in two of the buildings, facing outwards in a watch for Whitney Frost, and Peggy and Jack were on the ground. Everyone had a walkie-talkie to communicate with the others and keep everyone updated. After a few minutes, Peggy checked in. "Status check," he voice crackled over the device. "Any sign of Miss Frost, Howard?"

It was Jason that answered her. "All's quiet. Though some of us may need to re-evaluate our priorities."

At his comment, you sighed and spoke into your walkie. "He's golfing, isn't he?" you asked tiredly, referring to Howard.

"That he is Y/N," was the response. "And he's not very good either."

You smiled as a shout of "hey!" was heard, and you responded. "You get used to it after a while, Jason. After working for Howard, nothing seems strange anymore."

You took a look around the studio. Jason was right: all was quiet. It seemed like nothing was going to happen for a little bit, so you turned to Daniel. "You're going to tell her, right?" you asked.

A confused, "Huh?" was his response. "Tell who what?"

"Peggy," you said, smiling. "That you have feelings for her. She told me what happened on the night of the fundraiser between you two, and it's not that hard to see how you feel about her."

"I don't know if I will," he admitted. "I don't know how I can."

"A little word of advice: I think she knows how you feel already, and I think she feels the same way. But nothing will ever change between you two if you don't act on your feelings."

"It won't matter though," he said sadly. "We have the entire country between us."

"If you don't think that Peggy would walk through hell and back for you, then you are severely mistaken," you told him. "And it wouldn't be that hard for her to stay in Los Angeles. After all, you do work for the same organization. And if her annoying supervisor doesn't approve the transfer, I think I could get him to budge."

Daniel smiled at your veiled threat at Thompson. "I'll try," he promised.

***

Meanwhile, Peggy and Jack were having a similar, yet different conversation on the ground. "You sure she's coming?" Jack asked, looking around.

"She'll come," Peggy assured him. "I know it in my gut."

"And what's your gut telling you about me?" Peggy gave him a look of confusion. "I'm just wondering how quick I'm gonna have to clean out my office once we get back to New York."

"What are you talking about?"

"You turning me in for siding with Vernon."

"What?" Peggy practically laughed in his face. "I'm not doing that."

Jack had a look of utter disbelief on his face. "I've been riding you since you took this case, and you're telling me you're just gonna let it slide?"

"Well I wouldn't say that," Peggy said. "I did threaten to shoot you."

"Yeah," Jack sucked in a breath. "I remember."

"It's not your fault entirely," Peggy reasoned. "Vernon Masters saw your boundless ambition and took advantage of it."

"Don't get so sentimental," Jack said, a small smile on his face. "I might cry."

"You're a good man Jack," Peggy said kindly. "I know that."

Jack looked down before reaching into his pockets and pulling out the Arena Club pin. "I have something for you. I found this in Vernon's briefcase."

"The Arena Club pin, I've seen them before," Peggy said.

Jack nodded before turning the pin head. "But it's also a key. To what, we don't know."

"We?"

"Uh, yeah," Jack said, not expecting Peggy to take interest in that part of his statement. "Y/N and I have spoken about it. She suggested that we look into it after we take care of Whitney Frost. It could unlock anything."

"You and Y/N are close then?" Peggy asked. She teased you about your odd friendship with Jack enough, it was time to speak to him about it.

"We work well together." He was dodging the question.

"Well you have taken her out to dinner twice now," Peggy continued. "Something tells me you don't afford that kind of generosity to all your associates though."

He looked annoyed. "What are you trying to get at?"

"Nothing," she smiled. "I was just merely pointing out that as long as I've known you, you have not once acted that way to anyone. And we definitely haven't danced together, that's for sure."

"What, do you two tell each other everything?" he said, annoyed. "Do each other's makeup and match your nails?"

Peggy thought it best to not tell Jack that she had been listening to their conversation at the fundraiser, instead opting to just smile in response. "We don't, but that's a good idea," she said. "Jack, all I'm saying is that I think there might be something more between the two of you, and that you both deserve happiness."

Jack was ready for this conversation to be over. "I think you've been reading too much into this Carter."

"Whatever you say Jack."

"One question though," Jack said. "You weren't really gonna shoot me, were you Peggy?" She hesitated and began to respond, looking slightly guilty. "Forget it," he cut her off. "I don't wanna know."

***

You and Daniel looked at each other in bewilderment when a scream echoed through the lot. There was no one else but you guys there, so who could it have been. Then Jack's voice crackled through the radio. "Anybody got eyes on Samberly?" Come to think of it, the scream did sound like Samberly.

Daniel looked around before radioing back. "No, but I got eyes on Whitney Frost heading towards the rift. Everybody mobilize!"

You and Daniel ran down over to the gamma cannon to see it go off and force the Zero Matter out of Whitney. She fell to the ground as you, Jack, Daniel, and Peggy advanced on her. "Hey look at that!" Jack said, holding her so she doesn't run away. "Your face is fixed! You'll look real pretty in prison!" He added, handcuffing her and dragging her off to the SSR car you had waiting to take her to the office.

You and Peggy walked back over to Howard and Jarvis to see troubled faces. "What is it?" Peggy asked.

"Radio controller's not responding,' Howard said, pressing the different buttons, but to no avail.

"Can you fix it?"

"Working on it!"

"The rift is becoming unstable," Jason said urgently. "We need to shut it down before we lose control of it."

"What about the gamma cannon?" you asked.

Jason shook his head. "Still recharging."

"There is one other option, but it's not good," Howard cut in. "We could use the manual override."

"Well then use it," Peggy said sharply.

"The crank is on the device, on the right-hand side of the base," Howard said slowly.

"So whoever shuts it down will be in the danger zone when the rift closes," Jason added.

You realized why they were so hesitant to suggest this. "So they'll get sucked inside?"

"That's about the size of it," Howard responded.

Everyone immediately started to argue about why they would turn the rift off, but no one noticed Daniel slip away from the group and start to tie himself to a post. You and Peggy raced towards him and he turned to you. "Keep working on a way to shut it down!" he said over the howling wind. "If you figure it out, I'll bail."

You racked your brain for ideas as everyone tried to figure out what to do, and Daniel struggled to turn the crank. "Is there nothing we can do?" you asked Howard.

"I'm thinking!" was the response.

"How long until the gamma cannon is charged?" Peggy turned to ask Jason.

"20 more minutes, at least," he said. "It doesn't have enough energy to fire."

"Could we detonate it inside the rift?" Peggy said, desperation starting to show on her face. Your heart broke for her.

"Samberly took the explosives out!" Jack yelled.

You saw Jarvis run off, and you were about to say something when you heard a noise and snapped your head back to the rift, which was starting to pick up everything within the twenty feet danger zone. Daniel was not longer touching the ground. "Daniel, hold on!" you shouted.

At that moment, the tie holding him to the post broke free. Peggy jumped on it and held him back, you right on her heels. Howard, Jack, and Jason all held on too, for dear life. You were able to hold on for a little bit, but it was soon becoming more difficult. "Peggy!" Daniel yelled. "Let go!"

"No Daniel!" she yelled back. "Hold on!"

Out of nowhere, you heard a horn honking, and turned your head a little to see Jarvis and Dr. Samberly drive up in Howard's car. "Jarvis, what the hell are you doing?" Howard yelled.

"Gamma cannon can't fire, but it could be detonated inside the rift, correct?" Jarvis yelled back.

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"Well, it would entail destroying your hover car, if you don't mind!"

"Do it!" you yelled, making the decision for Howard.

"Samberly," Howard yelled back. "Get the core out of the gamma cannon!"

You didn't know how much longer you could hold on for, and everything starting to get fuzzy. The next thing you knew, a blinding wave of light swept through the area, and you all dropped to the ground. A collective sigh was heard, of happiness that the rift was closed and the exhaustion of the past few days. "Work good enough for you now, Dr. Wilkes?" Howard asked Jason, referring to his hover car.

Jason nodded, and you smiled. "Thank god! I hated that thing."

You were still on the ground, legs a bit wobbly from holding on. You got up and heard Dr. Samberly say that he fainted, but your legs gave out a bit and you fell forward. "Whoa!" Jack said, running forward and catching you before you faceplanted in the dirt. "It's alright, I got you!"

"I'm - not - fainting," you said softly, panting slightly. "God, that'd be so embarrassing."

Jack cracked a smile as he helped you up. "Don't worry about," he said. "We did just save the world."

"That we did. For the second time actually."

Jarvis sent your ride into the rift, so you had to take one of the cars Howard had on set to go home in. Jack didn't leave your side as he helped you into the car, and you slumped over on your seat. "I think I need a nap," you said, head in your hands.

"I think we all do," Peggy said, getting into the seat next to you. You laid your head against the window as the car slowly began to drive, and fell asleep almost instantly.


	30. Not Quite Out of the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coincides in plot with season 2, episode 10, "Hollywood Ending."

You drifted in and out of consciousness fairly often for the next few hours. Peggy shook you awake when the car stopped in Howard's driveway, and you aimlessly shuffled up to your room and fell asleep again, not even bothering to change your clothes. An unknown amount of time later another wake up call came, this time by Jarvis: dinner was ready. You slowly made your way down to the dining room and sat silently as you ate, then got ready and went back to sleep. Everyone else seemed much more awake then you did, laughing and talking through dinner. But for Howard and Peggy, these past few days probably just felt like business as usual.

Sleep was granted to you after dinner, and after you left the table, no one disturbed you. At least, not until the next morning. You awoke to a pillow hitting you in the face, along with a whispered call of "Barnes!" and opened your eyes to see sunlight streaming in through your windows.

You picked up the pillow and threw it in the direction of the door. "What?" you grumbled, shutting your eyes again. "Why are you bothering me?"

"Because I'm your boss," was the response. So it was Howard then. "And it's already eleven."

"Eleven!" you shot up out of bed. "Oh my lord, I am so sorry! I'm sure I missed too many phone calls and I was supposed to to get some paperwork done and -"

"Whoa, Y/N, relax!" Howard said as you got out of bed and headed over towards the door, no doubt to go to your office. "I called the Stark Industries New York office and they agreed to accept all Public Relations calls for today and tomorrow, and I already had the calls to your office phone forwarded over. One of the ladies that you worked with in New York is handling everything for the time being. You, on the other hand, need to relax."

"But Howard-"

"Y/N, out of all the time you've lived here, the latest you've ever gotten up on a weekend was 9:30, and I don't think you've taken a day off since the end of the war. The lady handling your calls assured me she'll keep everything organized and send over a list of who called, along with their purpose for calling," Howard said, which made you feel a little bit better. "Peggy told me that she thinks this whole case was exhausting for you, so now it's over, and you can relax. And if you don't relax and I find you working today or tomorrow, I will tell Jarvis not to let you do anything, and New York will continue to handle your calls," he threatened.

The threat was effective, because you knew Jarvis wouldn't let you out of bed or even anywhere near your office, and you didn't really want to be mothered. "Fine," you conceded. "But after tomorrow, everything goes back to normal, got it?"

Howard put his hands up in defeat, a stupid look on his face. "As normal as it can be for us, I promise I'll try. Soon the Malibu lab will be open, and I'll look at what I want to do next to change the world."

You nodded, and he started to leave the room. "Wait!" you said quickly, remembering what you wanted to talk to him about.

"What?" I'm off to go and relax,'" Howard said, and you shuddered.

"First of all: whatever you're doing, gross, and I don't want to know," you told him. "Second of all, I wanted to talk to you about going to New York for the restructuring of the company in regards to public relations you've talked about. I know it's going to take a while, so I figured I can head out maybe next month, give everything a little time to settle down."

"Of course," he said. "I'll let you in on a little secret, I plan on one day moving back to New York, maybe sooner if Malibu falls through. I'm going to be closing the movie studio in the next year, and other than that one facility I'm opening, all business will be moved back to New York."

"What does that mean for me then?" you asked, confused.

"It means that if you want, you can move back to New York for good," he said. "If you go, your position will remain the same, but you'll be given an office on the same floor as the other high ranking officers of the company. Unless you really feel like there's a need for it, I don't plan on re-opening the Public Relations floor. As for me, most of my time will be spent in New York, running the business, with some 'vacation time' out here on the West Coast."

"And if I don't go?"

"I'll make you Dr. Samberly's lab assistant," he joked, but went serious when he saw your dirty look. "I'm kidding, you'll either work out of the Malibu facility or I can get you a job at the LA SSR. I hear Chief Sousa needs some new agents after his were all corrupt."

"As much as I love the people at the SSR, I think I prefer my boring office job," you said. I do want to go back to New York, but I just have to figure out where I'm going to live."

"Don't worry about any of it," Howard said. "I'll handle it. As Jarvis says, I've got more property than I know what to do with. But what I'm trying to say is that don't bother going out for the business trip if in a few months you'll be back for good. It's not time sensitive or anything, so don't worry."

You nodded in understanding. "Alright then. I guess I'll get started on the specifications for the company move then."

"Not today or tomorrow though!" Howard said sharply. "I mean it, go swimming or something! Relax!"

***

Hours of 'relaxing' passed, and you eventually decided to emerge from your room and get something to eat. You expected to see Peggy in the kitchen, but instead was greeted with Ana settling back in from the hospital. Practically running over to her, you gave her a big hug and helped her with her bags. Once you were all done, you looked around. "Do you know where Peggy is?" you asked. "She is supposed to fly back to New York today and I wanted to say goodbye."

"I'm afraid Edwin has just taken her to the SSR office to finish up before the airport, but she might still be there if you want to catch her," Ana responded. "She didn't say goodbye to you either? Someone needs to teach her some manners."

You laughed as you thanked Ana again and headed out to take one of Howard's cars. Speeding only slightly to the SSR, you soon parked and headed right through to the office, waving to Rose on your way in. An agent greeted you as you stepped through the door to the bullpen, and you asked him if Peggy was still here. He pointed to Daniel's office and said they were just finishing up the paperwork and you could go in if you wanted. Nodding in thanks, you walked over to the door and knocked once before opening it. But nothing could have prepared you for what you saw.

Peggy and Daniel were kissing. No, scratch that. What they were doing could only be described as making out, in Daniel's office chair. When the door opened, they flew apart, cheeks red from embarrassment. You raised your eyebrows at them. "So, Peggy, I take it you're not flying back to New York?"

"No, I- Uh-" she sputtered breathlessly.

You smiled at her. "Peggy, just stay here," you said. "Jarvis will probably mope around for another month, and from what I just saw, you belong here." Daniel smiled at you, and you turned to him. "And I'll make good on my promise at the studio," you said. "Don't even worry about that."

Peggy was confused. "What promise?"

You opened your mouth to respond, but Daniel spoke up first. "When we were waiting for Whitney Frost to show up at the movie studio, Y/N told me to tell you how I felt because you felt the same way, and that if Thompson didn't approve your transfer to the LA office, she'd handle him."

"So you're not going then, right?" you asked Peggy.

She smiled. "Well, if you're going to handle Thompson I guess not. I do have to give him my plane ticket though. The SSR could start a file of my missed plane tickets and they might be able to get the money back," she said. "I'm really not looking forward to telling Jack. He might try to drag me on the plane himself."

"Well we don't want that to happen," you said, smiling. "I can take it to him. I'll give him the plane ticket and inform him of your pending transfer to the LA office. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"No I can't make you do that," Peggy protested.

"You're not making me Peggy," you said. "I want you to be happy. And besides, Howard is forcing me to take today and tomorrow off and I'm already insanely bored. I need something to do."

"Oh alright," she said, going through her purse to get the plane ticket. After getting Jack's hotel information and room number from Daniel, who had it on a notepad for emergencies, you were off again.

***

The hotel was nice, if not a little busy when you arrived, walking through the door and heading up the stairs to the second floor, where Jack's room was. There was another man behind you walking up the stairs, who apparently had decided that you walked too slow and pushed past you. His hat was pulled down over his face, and something about him just seemed generally unsettling. You walked a little faster up the stairs and decided to follow him.

The man was heading down the hallway, with you only a couple paces behind him, and he stopped outside of a room, pausing for a second. You looked at the number and did a double take. It was the same number Daniel had given you for Jack's room. Your eyes widened. This man definitely did not work for the hotel, and Jack had told you ages ago that he didn't know anyone from LA other than Daniel. The man knocked on the door and you held in a breath. Maybe this wasn't Jack's room.

Your fear was confirmed when you heard him yell, "I'm coming!" and saw the man reach into his jacket. Thinking quickly, you ran up behind him and delivered a strong kick to his back, throwing him forward just as the door opened. The man fell against the floor and was knocked out, his gun clattering to the ground. You grabbed it as Jack looked around in confusion at the man who collapsed when he opened the door, and looked up at you. "Barnes?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure," you admitted, adrenaline running through your veins. "This man pushed past me on the stairs and I something seemed off about him, so I followed him up. Then, he knocked on your door and pulled a gun out, so I had to think quickly."

After a call to hotel security and the SSR, the still unconscious man was taken out by an SSR agent and taken back to the office. And for a second, you forgot why you were even here in the first place. "As much as I appreciate the rescue from death, why were you here?" Jack asked.

"I had to give you this," you remembered, reaching into your bag. "It's Peggy's plane ticket. She said that the office might be able to get the money back?"

"And why is she not flying back?"

"She has decided that she would like to remain in LA," you said, trying to be as vague as possible. "She has requested a transfer."

"Shouldn't she be telling me this herself?" He sounded slightly annoyed, but not too much.

"She was afraid that you would drag her back to New York," you answered. "And right now, her and Chief Sousa are ... unavailable."

"Gross," he said, catching onto your implication.

"You're telling me," you said. "I'm the one who walked in on them."

***

You stayed at the hotel until Jack was ready to leave, and waited while he called the SSR from a payphone outside. "Carter and Sousa are going to handle the guy we have in custody," he said when he hung up. "I'm good to fly back to New York. I have a plane to catch and an office to run."

He turned towards the street to hail a taxi, but you stopped him. "I can drive you to the airport if you want," you offered. "At least make sure you're not killed before you get on the plane."

"I don't want to make you do that," he said, shaking his head.

"I'm not asking anymore," you told him, getting in the driver's seat. "Now hurry up if you want to make your flight!"

When you pulled up to the airport, Jack looked at you. "Thank you for saving my life," he said sincerely.

"It was the least I could do," you joked. "You did buy me dinner twice."

He laughed as he got out of the car and collected his bags. You waved, expecting him to walk away but he leaned his head back through the window at the last second. "If you ever make it back out to New York for that long business trip, stop by the SSR," he said. "I'll need an honest report about how the hooligans at the LA office are faring. And tell Peggy that I expect an invite to her wedding!"

"I will," you promised, and he walked into the airport, tipping his hat at you before he disappeared.

The world was safe, the SSR was running smoothly, and you were ready to get back to work. Maybe things were actually going back to normal, as strange as that seemed to you.


	31. Welcome (Back) to New York

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place after season 2, about two months after "Not Quite Out of the Woods." Apparently, the end of season 2 takes place in december 1947/january 1948, so going by that, at this point in the story, it's march 1948.

As much as you loved New York, you were not always fond of its weather. You were met with a cold rain and dreary sky when you stepped out of the airport, two months after the end of the Isodyne case with the SSR. Howard wasn't officially moving to New York until June, but you decided to move out a little earlier so you could get everything set up in your new office and be ready for whatever mischief Howard will inevitably bring with him. And speaking of your new office, it was huge. Situated on one of the higher floors of the building, your office sat next to those of the most important people in the company, and it was double the size of the office you had when you were a few floors down, before Howard moved to LA.

So far, everything was running smoothly. You did have to re-adjust to commuting to work everyday, because for as long as you'd been in LA, you lived and worked in the same building. But Howard was more than generous when he said he'd take care of everything. Not only did you receive one of his penthouse apartments to live in, you were also now the owner of a brand new 1947 Chevrolet Fleetmaster, so at least you didn't have to take the subway anymore.

Not even a week after you moved back to New York, a magazine called and wanted to schedule an interview with Howard. But for some odd reason, they wanted to focus on the time that his inventions were stolen. You spoke vaguely over the phone and after you hung up, had no idea what to do. The magazine probably just wanted Howard to talk about what it felt like to testify in front of the senate, but you were still worried that something would go wrong. As far as you were aware, that case was mostly labeled 'top secret' and not really up for discussion.

After careful consideration, your best option moving forward is to collect as much general information about the time as possible, including exact dates of hearings, press conferences, and the days that big articles came out. If you could push the interview in the direction you wanted, maybe nothing top secret would be revealed. But there was one issue: you didn't have all these exact dates. And where were you going to get information like that? And then it hit you: the files at the SSR might have what you were looking for.

***

You weren't sure what to do as you walked into the New York Bell Company building and headed towards the hallway that housed the entrance to the SSR. When you would visit the LA office, Rose knew you and always waved you right through to the bullpen, but you weren't sure what the welcome at the New York office would be like. When you walked into the room, the woman at the farthest desk towards the wall stopped working and looked at you. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Hi, I wanted to talk to the chief about something," you said. "I work for Howard Stark and I am looking for some information about the weapons theft case two years ago."

"I'll have to call in and see if he's available," she answered. "Can I have your name please?"

"Of course, it's Y/N Barnes."

She called through to the office, and you were cleared to go in. Seconds later the door opened, and you were on your way. Heads turned when you walked into the bullpen, but you paid no mind to them as you started to make your way to Jack's office, knocking lightly before entering. Jack looked up from the paperwork he was filling out. "Barnes!" he said, smiling a little. "Finally made it back to New York, huh?"

"Of course," you smiled back. "And I'm here for good this time. Howard's moving the rest of the company over in a few months, and I came back a little early so I could set everything up."

"How are the idiots in the LA office doing?" he asked.

"They're doing good, as far as I'm aware. After the end of the Isodyne case I haven't been called back to the SSR to help on any cases, and it seemed like everything was running smoothly. How are you?"

"Well I'm not dead, so that's something," he quipped. "And I know you told Dorothy outside that you needed to talk to me about something from the Stark case? What do you need?"

You nodded, getting down to business. "A magazine called me and wanted to schedule an interview with Howard, but they want to focus on his time in front of the senate. Now I don't think they're going to try and get sensitive information about the case, it's probably just going to be questions about him insulting various members of Congress, but I wanted to make sure that I can go ahead and schedule the interview, and I also need to know what I need to tell Howard he's not allowed to talk about. I figured if I got the exact dates of hearings, press conferences, and major article releases, I might be able to keep the interview shallow and surface level. But I don't have the exact dates of the senate hearings, and I was hoping you guys did."

"I have to see if we do," Jack admitted. "But it sounds like those dates will be in the file, I just have to get it."

You nodded. "It's not a rush right now, because the interview won't even take place until Howard is back in New York, but I just wanted to handle it early."

"Of course, I'll get someone to get that information within the next few days," he said. "We're a little busier than normal right now, but I promise you'll have it."

"Well don't let me keep you from working," you said, getting up from your chair. You gave him your office phone number and wrote down the number for the SSR along with his office's extension number before smiling at him and heading out.

***

A few days later, you office phone rang right as you walked into the room, and you ran and picked it up. "Stark Industries Public Relations."

"Y/N, it's Jack," Thompson's voice came through the phone. "I have the file you wanted with the dates of Stark's hearings. We also have the dates of some press conferences too, but you probably already have that stuff."

"Probably, but I can look through it anyway to see if you guys have anything else that I don't," you said. "When do you want me to stop by and pick it up?"

"Oh, uh, actually I was going to ask if you wanted me to drop by your office and deliver it. I feel like I've been cooped up here forever and I need to get out."

"You too?" you asked, understanding the feeling. "I don't know if it's just the weather, but I've been feeling trapped in my office."

"How about we both leave?" he asked. "I'll meet you for lunch somewhere, and you can get the files then."

"Deal," you agreed. You agreed on a time and place and hung up the phone. It was time to get some work done.

Noon couldn't come fast enough, and you practically raced out of your office to avoid doing any more paperwork. Walking out of the building, you saw Jack standing outside of a car, waiting. "I thought you were going to meet me," you said, confused.

I ducked out of the office the minute I could," he admitted. "Told the agents I had a business lunch to attend, which is technically true."

You smiled as you both got in the car. "Bad day?"

He shook his head. "Not the best, but not horrible either. I didn't realize how little Dooley actually left the office when he was chief until I'm in his position and I feel like I'm going crazy."

"I completely understand that," you said. "When I was in LA, my office was a minute walk from my bedroom, and until Daniel called me to help with the Isodyne case, I barely left the house. Now, I at least have a commute to the office every day, but sometimes I still feel trapped."

He pulled up to the restaurant you two had decided on, a quiet automat in between both of your workplaces. After you sat down and ordered, the conversation shifted. "I never really thanked you for saving my life in LA," Jack said.

You shook your head. "Don't worry about it. I would have done the same for anyone."

"But still-"

"Jack," you said, raising your eyebrows. "I wasn't going to stand there and watch a man shoot you. We may have had our differences in the beginning, but we've worked together several times now, and even back then, I wouldn't have let him shoot you."

"Would you have let Peggy shoot me when we were at the dump then?" he said, smiling slightly. You hesitated, not knowing what you would have done if Peggy had shot him. Jack shook his head. "Actually, don't say anything. Peggy did the same thing when I asked her. Nice to know that the only person you'd let shoot me is Peggy though."

You smiled softly at his attempt at a joke. "The scariest part of that is the fact that I honestly don't know what I would have done. I trust Peggy more than anyone."

He smiled. "Honestly, so do I. But don't you dare tell her I said that!" You smiled, knowing full well that you were going to tell Peggy the next time you saw her. "I mean it Barnes!"

"Fine," you huffed jokingly. "I'll protect your pride. But what's in it for me?"

"What do you want?"

"Hmm," you said, looking around. "How about a slice of pie?"

"Deal."

Once it was time to leave, Jack dropped you off at your office before heading back to the SSR, getting out and opening the car door for you like a gentleman. When you walked in the building, the secretary squealed at you. "Y/N! Who was that? I had no idea you were dating anyone!"

"What?" you said, confused. "I'm not dating anyone and I haven't been on a date in an embarrassingly long time."

"Well then who just dropped you off? The handsome blond? You can't tell me you weren't just on a lunch date because he got out and the opened the door for you!"

"He's just a friend, Anne," you said. "I won't have time to date if Mr. Stark keeps causing this much mischief wherever he goes."

"Whatever you say, Y/N," she giggled as you took the elevator up to your office. As nice as it was avoiding your responsibilities, you had work to to do.


	32. Place Your Bets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a couple months after the last chapter, "Welcome (back) to New York."

If someone had told you two years ago that lunch with Jack Thompson was going to be a weekly thing for you, you would have told them to get their head checked. But here you were now. Every Tuesday at 12:30, you would go down to the lobby of the building, and he would be waiting outside. And every Tuesday at 1:30, he'd drop you back off, opening the door for you to get out of the car. Anne had since stopped making comments every time she saw Jack drop you off after your response never wavered from. "We're not dating, Anne. Stop saying it," every week. For your office, it was fairly common to see people go out to lunch all the time. But for Jack's office, it was not.

The other agents of the New York SSR had slowly noticed that every Tuesday at 12:15, the chief would grab his coat and hat and leave the building. He wouldn't return until 1:45, taking an hour and a half for lunch, a half hour more than the agents technically received. But only on Tuesdays. Every other day, the chief was holed up in his office all day, emerging occasionally for coffee or food, but he was still constantly working. He worked enough overtime to merit an hour and a half lunch once a week, so they never said anything to him about it. But that didn't mean they didn't wonder where he went.

"Alright, listen up everybody!" Agent Tom Jennings said one Tuesday, after he watched the chief exit the building and drive off in his car. The others stopped and stared at him in confusion. "I think we should have a little wager."

"On what?" someone asked from their desk.

"On where we think the chief goes every Tuesday," Jennings said, capturing the interest of the office. "I say we each put in a dollar with our theories, and whoever wins gets the lot of it."

The other agents nodded in agreement and started to call out their theories.

"Visiting his mother!"

"Going home for a nap!"

"He's sick or something!"

"He's got a girlfriend!" At that suggestion, some of the agents started to laugh. "What?" Agent Will Blair said in confusion. "Why are you laughing?"

One of the other agents stopped and turned to him. "Right, I forgot you're still fairly new here. Most of us have worked with Chief Thompson since the end of the war. Trust me, he's definitely not the type to be hiding a secret girlfriend, or even having a girlfriend."

"Why?"

"First of all, he works too much. Other than this Tuesday phenomenon, he never leaves his office and he's here every day of the week. And second of all, he had said something ages ago about not really looking for marriage."

"Now how do we find out where the chief is going?" another agent cut in.

"We're government agents for Christ's sake," Agent Jennings said. "We should be able to figure something out."

***

Something, was in fact sending an agent out on Tuesdays to try and see where Thompson was going. It wasn't the best of plans because they didn't want to be caught following their supervisor around the city, so often the agent would return back at 1:30 and shake their head, not seeing the chief anywhere.

They didn't do this every week, in fear of being caught or looking too suspicious, and as hard as they tried, none of them had any idea of where the chief was going every Tuesday. One week, Jack emerged from his office, put his coat and hat on, walked out to his car, and drove off. Shocked, the agents all stopped working. Today was Thursday. It wasn't like he skipped Tuesday's lunch, no, he was gone on Tuesday. This was a first.

One Agent Will Blair happened to be sitting in his car, coming back from the bank when he saw Chief Thompson walk out of the building and drive off. He was just as confused as the agents inside. What was the chief doing? It was Thursday, not Tuesday. Waiting a few seconds, he made up his mind. He was going to follow him.

"I was right!" he announced to the agents of the SSR when he walked back into the office. "He does have a girlfriend!"

"And how can you be sure of that?"

"I followed him because I was in the car when he walked out of the building, and he didn't notice," Agent Blair said. "He stopped in front of an office building, got out, and walked inside. A couple minutes later, he walked out with a woman. He opened the door for her as she got in, and they drove off!"

"I don't know Blair," Jennings said. "This could be a business thing. Today is Thursday, not Tuesday, and he also went out on Tuesday. Most likely, this was a one time thing."

***

The Thursday lunch in question was in fact a one time thing. It was barely ten in the morning, and you were having the absolute worst day. You had gotten screamed at by someone who wanted to interview Howard, but the publication was on his blacklist, meaning he didn't want anything to do with that magazine. Your car had stopped working and you had to take the subway to work this morning, along with the fact that the coffee machine in the office lounge was broken, you had a massive headache, and the man who had the office next to you was currently screwing his mistress loud enough for you to hear it through the wall. You weren't really sure what you wanted when you dialed the phone number for the SSR and added the extension for Jack's office. "Thompson," he answered.

"Hey, it's me," you said softly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to lunch today? I've been having the absolute worst day and I just need to get out of the office for a little while."

"Of course," he answered. "I'll pick you up at the normal time alright?"

You smiled and thanked him before hanging up the phone. Placing your head in your hands, you tried to block out the noises from next door and calm your headache. Instead, you fell asleep right at your desk.

By some miracle, the phone didn't ring, allowing you to sleep. 12:30 rolled around, and Jack didn't see you in the lobby of the building, so he decided to go inside and check. Maybe you got swamped with work and didn't get a chance to look at the time. After asking the secretary where your office could be found, he was in the elevator heading up to your floor. Scanning the nameplates outside the rooms, he finally located yours and stepped inside, knocking lightly on the door, finding you fast asleep with you head on your desk.

He knocked again, slightly louder this time. "I'm awake!" you said, shooting up in your chair. "Stark Industries-"

He cut you off. "It's just me. You weren't in the lobby when I pulled up and I wanted to check on you. Bad day, huh?"

"You have no idea," you grumbled, before launching into an explanation of everything that has gone wrong for you today.

"Alright, new plan," Jack said once you finished explaining. "We'll get something to eat, and then I'm going to drive you home so you can sleep, because you're overworking yourself and I can tell you need rest."

"I can't," you protested. "I have so much to do."

"Which can all wait for tomorrow," he assured you. "Just tell someone that you're taking a half day because you don't feel well, and then we can get food and you can go home."

"Fine," you conceded. "Let me just pack everything up from today."

Lunch was good, but when Jack finally parked in front of the building you were excited to go to sleep. "Thank you Jack," you said sincerely. "You made my horrible day a little bit better."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "You just needed to take a break, you know?"

He got out of the car and ran to open your door for you, much to your protest. You protested even further when he walked you up to the door of the building, and not knowing what came over you, you turned around and gave him a huge hug. "Thank you," you whispered. "I mean that."

He hugged you back instantly. "I know," he said lightly. You two broke apart and you looked at him. Your faces were close and he was staring down at you. It felt like ages when he smiled at you and whispered, "kiss me Barnes."

You instantly obliged, and pressed a kiss to his lips, short enough to be considered appropriate for the public setting, but with enough feeling for him to know how you felt. You broke apart and smiled at him. "I want you to know that I meant that," you said.

"I meant it too," he said. "And as much as I would love to continue to kiss you, I can see you are still exhausted. Go up and rest, okay? I'm taking you to dinner tomorrow night."

"And when was that decided?"

"Just now," he smiled. "Gotta do something special for my girl right?"

"Your girl?"

"Yeah, you've been the only girl in my life for a long time," he admitted. "Peggy's been on my case about you for longer than I care to admit."

You smiled at him. "She wouldn't stop bothering me about you either. Do you think we should tell her about us?"

"Not right now, she'd never leave us alone," Jack laughed, pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. "She was already insufferable before."

***

As luck would have it, Peggy and Daniel came out to New York for a one week business trip and meeting the next month. And when Tuesday rolled around, none of the other agents were particularly bothered when Jack stepped out of his office at 12:15, put on his coat and hat, and walked out of the building. Peggy and Daniel, on the other hand, were dumbfounded. "What was that?" Peggy asked, shock evident on her face.

"That happens every Tuesday," one of the agents responded. "We have a bet going on to see where he's going, but no one has seen what he does. He'll be back at 1:45 though. Blair thinks he has a secret girlfriend he's not telling us about."

Daniel looked at Peggy with his eyebrows raised. "So are we following him or what?"

"No," she eventually said. "I guess this is normal then."

As far as the agents knew, every Tuesday Jack left the office at lunchtime, and whatever he did was probably the only social interaction he ever had outside of work. And the agents were half right. Since you and Jack had kissed, your relationship dynamic hadn't really changed that much - except that you saw each other nearly every day after work, along with the Tuesday lunch date. He was a perfect gentleman on dates, and now after your weekly lunches, he got out of the car, opened your door and kissed you lightly on the lips, leaving you smiling. Anne screamed the first time she saw, and you had to hit her lightly on the arm to get her to stop.

You had long since moved Bucky's ring from your finger to on a chain around your neck. It truly was time to move on.

***

You didn't know Peggy was visiting from LA, and Jack didn't say anything either when he invited you to lunch that Friday, asking you to stop by the SSR at 12:30 because he had a meeting he couldn't get out of. So you showed up to the office, not expecting anything to be different. You stepped into the bullpen and asked one of the agents if Jack was in his office, but he shook his head, telling you that he was in a meeting and that you could wait for him in the office if you would like. So you walked into his office and shut the door, making yourself comfortable on one of the chairs.

Maybe five minutes later the door opened and Jack quickly walked inside, smiling at you. "Hey," he said as you got up to kiss him. "Sorry that took so long."

You didn't bother responding before pulling him into another kiss, this one slightly more heated than the last. And then the office door opened.

"Jack, I need-" a voice was saying, and you two broke apart, your cheeks reddening with embarrassment. "Y/N?" the voice continued, absolutely shocked.

You looked down at your feet like a toddler who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Hi Peggy," you said softly.

"I was going to say that I needed some help finding a specific file, Jack" she said lightly. "But it seems that you're currently ... unavailable. I'll let you get back to that," she added, closing the door behind her. You heard her say "Blair won!" and a whoop of happiness followed that, along with some grumbling from the other agents.

"Sorry about that," Jack said softly. "I know you wanted to keep it a secret."

You laughed, which was the opposite of what Jack expected you to do. "Are you kidding? This is almost exactly how I caught her and Daniel, so I'd say we gave her a taste of her own medicine."

"God, I love you," the words slipped out of Jack's mouth before he could stop them.

You stopped for a second, as he realized what he had said, and you cut him off before he could keep talking. "Jack Thompson, I love you too," you said, kissing him again.

This kiss was considerably longer than the others, and you broke apart panting ever so slightly. "So," you said nonchalantly, grinning widely. "When do I get to meet Gam-Gam?"

"Oh I am so going to kill Sousa."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> only the epilogue left y'all :-)


	33. Epilogue

_ **May 3, 1952** _

_"Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_"Why, is there something you're not telling us, Howard?"_

_"No! I just wanted to be totally sure that you two want to go through with this, that's all."_

_"Howard, I will tell you what I told you on my wedding day, I am absolutely ready to walk down the aisle and if you don't do your part I will not hesitate to hit you where it hurts."_

_"There's no aisle here that I can see, but okay."_

_"Howard!"_

_"Fine, Fine! It's your funeral anyway."_

_Silence._

_"Ow! Relax! Y/N, I was making a joke."_

_"Hopefully this contraption works better than your first hovercar."_

_"You shut it about the hovercar, Thompson! It saved the world, if you'll remember!" _

_"Yeah, yeah. So why don't you go and start this ridiculous looking machine up, and we'll see if you've 'cracked open the secrets of the entire universe,' okay?"_

***

_ **April 20, 2016** _

"Oh, Capsicle! Just the person I wanted to see!" Tony said as he walked into the kitchen. "My godparents are going to be visiting here later, and I just wanted to let you know this way you don't freak out if you see random people traipsing through the compound."

"Isn't Peggy your godmother?" Steve asked, confused. He knew that Peggy was bedridden and still in DC, so she definitely wasn't coming to visit, and he thought her husband had already passed away. But he said 'godparents,' as in more than one.

"I can see the wheels in your head turning, Cap," Tony laughed. "I have four godparents, actually. You knew about Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel, but apparently no one could decide who would be my godparents when I was born, so I also have Uncle Jack and Aunt [nickname]. They're the ones coming here."

Steve nodded absentmindedly. "Have they come by before?"

"Not here," Tony answered. "I always go up and visit them in Connecticut. They like to stay pretty off the grid, but I finally got them to come visit. I think they're coming with a box of my father's old stuff, like photographs and blueprints."

"Sir," FRIDAY's voice interrupted. "Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are here. Where should I direct them?"

"Here's fine FRIDAY," Tony said, and Steve got up to leave. "You don't have to leave, you know. There might be something in that box for you."

"Me?"

"Well you did know my father right? Lord knows he talked enough about you, maybe he kept some stuff or something."

Steve was about to respond when the door opened and two people walked in, holding hands. The man was tall and blond, holding a box under one arm, but Steve barely paid any attention to him. "Y/N," he said, standing still from the shock. "You're alive?" He must have been dreaming. Bucky was alive, now Y/N too? Bucky! Bucky was on a mission right now, away from the compound, with Sam and Nat. Should he tell her that Bucky's alive?

"Steve?" her voice sounded just as shocked. "Oh my god you're alive." They both stood there, staring at each other. The blond man, who was apparently her husband, let go of her hand and she took off towards Steve, giving him a bear hug. "What happened? I got a letter from the army, Steve, they said you crashed a plane into the arctic. How are you here?"

"The serum made my body somewhat resistant to the cold I guess," he said. "When the ship was found encased in ice five years ago, I was still alive."

"Oh my god Steve," you said, hugging him again. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," he said truthfully. "But what I don't understand is how you haven't changed that much in over seventy years."

"That was all Howard," you said. "He developed this machine that could completely stop the aging process, and Jack and I underwent the clinical trials. We're both 98 years old, but never aged past 34."

"You offered yourself up for one of Howard's experiments? Do you know how dangerous that could have been?"

"That's what I told her," the blond, Jack, said. "But Howard assured us there would be no dangers even if the machine didn't work, and I figured if she was going to do something stupid, I might as well do it too."

"And it worked didn't it?" you laughed. 

"What happened to the machine?" Steve asked.

"A corporate enemy of Howard's broke into his lab one day," you answered. "He didn't get a chance to take anything, but he destroyed as much as he possibly could until we caught him. Howard never recreated the machine."

Jack and Tony were quietly talking about something, and Steve walked back over to you. "How are you? Really?" you asked.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he said. "You got here the long way."

"That I did," you responded. "But it wasn't really so bad. The future is kinda cool."

"When I came out of the ice, I felt like I was constantly being watched by the news," Steve said. "And you really didn't know I was alive?"

"As much as I like the future, Jack and I have had different experiences with it than a normal person," you admitted. "When you don't age, people start to ask questions. So we started to move around. Jack was an SSR agent, it was easier for them to stomach the fact that he was never going to age than it was for the people I worked with. I was still working for Howard, doing public relations. So eventually, we left. We both worked at SHIELD for a little while, and stopped a little bit before Tony became Iron Man. Howard had left us money in his will, and Tony generously offered to support us. So we moved to Connecticut. It's a nice size house, and it's just off the grid enough for people to not notice the fact that we never seem to get older."

"When did you two get married?" Steve asked, nodding at Jack across the room.

You had a dopey smile on your face, and he instantly decided to not say a word about Bucky, or what he'd been through. You had gone through enough when he died during the war, he didn't want to ruin your happiness by finding out what he did, or make you feel guilty for marrying again when your first husband wasn't actually dead. "1951. We dated for about two years before getting engaged, but we had known each other before. I, uh," you trailed off. "I used to detest him when we first met. I hated him so much. But Peggy said I never did anything by the book anyway."

"I think I agree with Peggy on that one."

***

Y/N and Jack left a day later, making both Tony and Steve promise that they would reach out if they ever needed anything. Y/N gave Steve a big hug and kiss on the cheek, and Jack shook his hand. Barely an hour after they left, Tony walked into the living area holding the box that Y/N and Jack had given them. "Do you want to go through it?" he asked.

"Did she every tell you that she knew me?" Steve asked Tony.

Tony shook his head. "No. I think they saw how much my dad idolized you that they wanted to be someone I could go and talk to, not just more people who knew 'Captain America.' Sometimes they felt more like my parents than anyone else," he admitted.

"Did they ever have children?"

"No, I don't think either of them really wanted children of their own. Y/N told me that she would always prefer to be everybody's 'fun aunt.'" Steve smiled, that definitely sounded like you. "Can I ask how you knew her?" Tony added. 

"Y/N was one of my childhood best friends, and before the war, she was married to Bucky," Steve answered softly. 

"Did you tell her?"

Steve shook his head. "She looked so happy, and I didn't want to mess that up for her. She deserves it more than anyone I think."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know."

Tony smiled. "She always wore a ring on a chain around her neck," he said. "I asked her about it so many times, but she just waved me off. It must have been her old wedding ring."

Steve smiled sadly, and they started to sift through the box. The top layers of the box were mostly blueprints, which Tony seemed happy to look at. Soon, the contents shifted to something slightly more personal. Photographs.

But before he could really look at them, a voice interrupted him. "Hey, Steve." Steve looked up to see Bucky, who had just come back from the mission. He wasn't in his tactical suit anymore, but he had a few scrapes on his face. He looked down at Steve and Tony, who were sitting on the floor going through the box. "What's all this stuff?"

"Tony found a box of some of Howard's old stuff," Steve lied, looking over at Tony with a look that said 'go with it!' "We were looking through some of the pictures. You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

Bucky nodded and sat down next to Steve sorting through the photos. While he didn't know most of the people in them, he recognized Howard, Peggy, and - "Y/N," he breathed, a sad look on her face. "I miss Y/N."

Steve nodded and smiled sadly as Bucky started to rapidly flip through the photos, looking for more of you, but stopped when he saw one in particular. Taken on the day of your wedding to Jack, you two were standing next to the cake and smiling wide for the camera. "What happened to her?" Bucky asked softly, turning to Steve. "I looked for records after I came to live here. Nothing. I couldn't even find records of a grave to go visit. I just wanted to know what happened to her after the war," he said sadly, a small tear in his eye.

"I don't know Buck," Steve lied. If you and Jack visited again, he would decide again whether or not to tell you and Bucky that the other is still alive. 

"She looked like she was happy though," Bucky said, still looking at the photograph. "And that's all that matters."

***

When you and Jack finally pulled into the driveway of your house, you got out and hugged Jack tightly. "I can't believe we didn't know he was alive," you said softly. 

Jack nodded and hugged you tightly. "I know today was difficult," he said. "And I'll always be here for you."

You looked up at him and kissed him smack on the lips, smiling. "I know, and I love you Jack Thompson. So much."

"I love you too. More than you could ever know."


	34. Surprise Chapter: Alternative Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I was going through the files on my computer and I found this chapter, which is an alternative epilogue to the story. I had actually written both the original epilogue and this one and ultimately decided to go with the other chapter, and I thought I deleted this one (but I actually hadn't). I figured I might as well post this version of the epilogue anyway as a bonus chapter!
> 
> It starts out the same way as the other epilogue, but breaks off in a different direction than what you had read.

** _May 3, 1952_ **

_"Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_"Why, is there something you're not telling us, Howard?"_

_"No! I just wanted to be totally sure that you two want to go through with this, that's all."_

_"Howard, I will tell you what I told you on my wedding day, I am absolutely ready to walk down the aisle and if you don't do your part I will not hesitate to hit you where it hurts."_

_"There's no aisle here that I can see, but okay."_

_"Howard!"_

_"Fine, Fine! It's your funeral anyway."_

_Silence._

_"Ow! Relax! Y/N, I was making a joke."_

_"Hopefully this contraption works better than your first hovercar."_

_"You shut it about the hovercar, Thompson! It saved the world, if you'll remember!"_

_"Yeah, yeah. So why don't you go and start this ridiculous looking machine up, and we'll see if you've 'cracked open the secrets of the entire universe,' okay?"_

***

_ **April 27, 2023** _

You took Jack's hand as the two of you walked over to where everyone else was standing. You slowed your pace as you came upon this crowd of people, all wearing the same solemn look on their faces. Eventually, the two of you walked right up next to the house and took up a spot at the back of the group, with no one noticing that you were there.

You heard footsteps and turned towards the house to see Pepper walk down the stairs and towards the lake, holding a large bouquet of flowers in her hand. She looked determined, but you could see the grief behind that. She turned aside, and caught your gaze, nodding ever so slightly towards you and Jack. She continued on to the front of the group, and you turned towards Jack. Wrapping his arm around you, he pulled you closer to him, allowing you to bury your face in his chest and sob quietly into his suit.

You knew this was going to happen. It had already happened before, and it will continue to happen for many more years. When you and Jack agreed to go through the clinical trials of Howard's 'anti-aging' machine, you half-expected it wouldn't work. The concept of eternal youth seemed too far away, even for Howard to have cracked. And honestly, after testing the machine, you thought it didn't work. You had playfully bet Jack that the two of you would die of some radiation poisoning before you turned forty, the exact opposite of what the machine was supposed to do.

But instead, as time went on you noticed the gray hairs starting to show in your friends' hairstyles, but you never sported any. You watched Howard grow an absolutely ridiculous mustache and soon develop laugh lines and wrinkles, but Jack didn't look any different from the day you met him.

And soon, you were watching Tony grow up before your eyes, to the point where he looked older than the two of you, despite the fact that you were his godparents, who were present at the hospital the day he was born. And now, he was gone and you were still here.

That was the thing you never prepared yourself for: loss. The idea that you would outlive everyone you knew and watch the world change so much. That you would be a constant in the world, and photographs of you from over 70 years ago would look like they could have been taken yesterday.

You had lost Howard first, and the grief of that was something you thought was going to kill you. But you still had everyone else. Then Jarvis and Ana, Daniel, and last of them all, Peggy. When Peggy died that's when you felt the true emptiness. You and Jack were alone. You both knew that Steve was alive, that he was found in the ice. But you could never bring yourself to go to him, to let him know that you were alive. Jack had spoken to him at Peggy's funeral, because they were both pallbearers for her casket. But Jack later told you that although he spoke to Steve, he hadn't told him who he was, just that he was a friend of Peggy's. You were so close to going up to him after the service, but you chickened out at the last minute, not wanting to confuse his grief.

The two of you stood there for a while, just watching. No one other than Pepper had noticed or acknowledged you, but then again, you two didn't really interact with many people, and with all the people facing the lake, it was hard to tell if you actually knew anyone here other than Pepper. Then a voice startled you back to the present.

"Well, well, well. The last of the SSR is here," a familiar voice said, and Nick Fury smiled at both of you.

You smiled back at him, and Jack shook his hand. "How've you been?" you asked him. You both had worked with Shield for a while, and retired with Peggy, allowing Fury to rise to director. You two might be the last people alive that remember him without the eye patch, although he never did tell you how he got it.

"These are strange times, and they will continue to be so. I didn't expect to see you two here, being all 'off the grid' as you are," he said, smiling slightly. "I'm glad to see you though; the forties are coming back I guess."

But before either you or Jack could ask him what he meant by that, he walked away.

***

Bucky stood solemnly next to Sam and Wanda, with his head down and his heart heavy. Although Tony and him didn't get along because of what he did, he felt the grief tighten his heart. People were milling about on the grassy lawn, mingling with each other in hushed whispers, but to Bucky, it felt as though everything was blurred.

Sam clapped him on the shoulder and looked at him, but neither said anything else. They continued to stand there, as if glued down onto that spot, until Rhodey walked over to greet them. "I don't think it really felt real until right now," he said, looking down at the ground.

"Today feels like a dream," Bucky said, the first time he had spoken all day. His voice was soft and almost hoarse, and Sam nodded in agreement.

"But I'm glad that so many people came out to celebrate him," Sam said. "I came here thinking that I would know everyone, but I definitely didn't."

Rhodey smiled. "Tell me about it. I know most people here, but not everyone, which is just weird to me."

"Do you know who's talking to Pepper right now?" Sam asked pointing towards the house. Bucky didn't bother to look in the direction, because he definitely wouldn't know whoever it was.

"Yeah, actually, those are Tony's godparents. They were friends of his father's I think." Rhodey answered.

"Why do they look like they're the same age as we are then?" Sam asked. Bucky still didn't bother looking.

"I think Tony said that his father had come up a machine that completely stops the aging process, and they were the ones it was tested on. I think the machine was destroyed, but it's safe to say that it worked. If what Tony had told me was true, they were close friends for most of Howard's life."

Something in that sentence made Bucky turn around and look at the couple that Sam and Rhodey were discussing. The man was unfamiliar, tall and blond, but definitely did not look like he was old enough to be Tony's godfather. His gaze then shifted to the woman next to him, and he audibly gasped.

"Bucky?" Sam asked worriedly. "What is it?"

"That's Y/N," he said softly.

"Who?" Sam asked again.

"I don't know what Steve told you about me, but both him and I had lives before the war. It feels like a lifetime ago right now, but I was married. I wouldn't think anything of it, but you said that her and Tony's father were friends for a long time," he said, turning towards Rhodey, who nodded. "Y/N had gotten a job at Stark Industries a little before I was drafted."

"I don't think she told Tony much about her life, but I think you're right Bucky," Rhodey said softly. "Do you want to go over there?"

"I- I don't know," Bucky said softly. "I can't imagine what it would have been like for her to lose both Steve and I, and I don't want to expose her to what I was subjected to."

"Bucky, it's up to you, but I think you should go over there and at least say hello," Sam said. "It may be the only chance you get to see her again."

"I'll think about it."

And he did think about it. Memories of his time with Y/N swirled through his mind constantly, but then he saw the man she was with, and he chickened out. He didn't want to intrude on her happiness with everything that he was now, because he was definitely not the same man that left for England all those years ago. And she was able to find happiness, so who was he to return after all this time and change everything she thought she knew?

Sam kept trying to get him to go over to her, but he resisted every time, just stealing glances at her from where he was.

Eventually, one time he looked back and you were gone. He couldn't help crying a little that evening.

***

You had stayed a little after the funeral to talk to Pepper and see Morgan, just to make sure that they were okay. Jack was talking to Pepper and you had zoned out a little bit, not really watching anything around you. Until you thought you saw something. But looking back, you didn't see what you thought you had.

Jack noticed a change in your expression and took your hand. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," you said, shaking your head. "Just thought I saw something."

"Anything important?"

"Just my mind playing tricks on me I think."

_-the end-_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, that was the last chapter of this fic. I'll let you in on a little secret, this is my favorite fic I've ever written. 
> 
> If you're looking for more Jack content, I have one other Jack/Reader fic right now, called "Honey, I Hate You," and I'm also taking requests for Jack/Reader one shots on my writing tumblr blog (@fandomsandxfiles-writes)
> 
> If you liked the Bucky aspect of this fic, I have a few Bucky stories right now: A Bucky/Reader one shot titled "Spooky and Mrs. Barnes," which is a 40's era fic where the reader and Bucky are SSR Agents. I also have a modern era Bucky one shot called "Codename: Last Resort," which is an enemies to lovers/undercover as a couple fic. 
> 
> I also am currently in the process of working on a multichapter fic, called "Agent B. Barnes, SSR," which is another 40's story in which Bucky escapes from Hydra and goes to work at the SSR. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and have a great day!
> 
> ~Tori


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